MONTGOMERY, Ala. — After a violent year that saw multiple mass shootings in the state, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and many lawmakers in both parties are supporting a ban on so-called Glock switches and other conversion devices that make semi-automatic weapons fire like machine guns.
The Republican governor is expected to back the proposal in her State of the State address Tuesday as part of a broader package of bills focused on public safety that she has named her top priority for the session. Democrats have long supported banning the conversion devices, but their bills have failed to win final approval in the Republican-dominated Alabama Legislature that has typically been reluctant to support gun restrictions.
“Governor Ivey supports getting dangerous Glock switches out of the hands of gangs and criminals. Along with this measure, she will unveil several other public safety proposals that will support law enforcement and crack down on crime. She expects the package to have bipartisan support,” Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola wrote in an email.
Communities across the country have seen deadly shootings carried out with the devices, small pieces of metal or plastic, which can be purchased online or made with 3D printers. The devices convert semi-automatic weapons to fully automatic fire that release multiple bullets with one squeeze of the trigger.
The devices were used in a September shooting that killed four people outside a Birmingham lounge, police believe. The rapid hard-to-control spray of bullets means more victims and more innocent bystanders wounded or killed, police say. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin this fall called Glock switches are” the number one public safety issue in our city and state.”
The devices are banned under federal law and in 23 states, according to anti-violence group Everytown for Gun Safety. Supporters said having a state ban will enable local district attorneys to pursue charges and prosecutions instead of referring the the cases to federal prosecutors.
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Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, has again filed legislation that would make possession of the devices a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
“These devices, they wreak havoc. We can’t bring lives back, but we can try to save some lives moving forward,” Ensler said.
The House of Representatives approved Ensler’s bill last year, but the session ended without a vote on it in the Senate. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said he expects it will win final approval this year. However, Senate Rules Chairman Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, cautioned there is lingering opposition.
“It’s not going to be an easy pass,” Waggoner said.
Efforts to ban the devices have had mixed results. Mississippi and Maryland last year joined the states that have banned the devices. But in Pennsylvania, a bill to ban “multi-burst trigger activators” failed by one vote last year in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives after every Republican and one Democrat voted “no.” In any case, it faced stiff opposition in the GOP-controlled Senate in a state that has been historically protective of gun rights.
Alabama has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the country. In 2022, there were 1,278 gun-related deaths in Alabama, which was the fourth-highest gun death rate in the country, ranking below Mississippi, Louisiana and New Mexico.
The ban on conversion switches is expected to be one of multiple bills focused on public safety.
“We’ll have a package coming forth to try to help do away with some of the crime,” Ledbetter said. Other bills that are expected to be considered include: incentives to help local law enforcement agencies with staffing and more resources for the electronic monitoring of juvenile offenders.
While there is bipartisan support for the ban on conversion devices, Republicans, who hold a lopsided majority in both chambers have expressed little appetite for other restrictions.
“At the end of the day, it’s not the guns it’s the people,” Ledbetter said.
Some Democrats say state lawmakers must do more. House Democrats have urged the state to bring back the requirement to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun. The state ended the requirement in 2023 following the passage of a Republican-backed bill.
“It is time to put the political rhetoric aside and to take meaningful steps to solve the problem before us. We can do that without infringing upon the rights of gun owners, while at the same time recognizing our responsibility to ensure that our children can go to school, that our seniors can go to the grocery store without fear of violence and death,” Ensler said.
Advocates are expected to again push for legislation that would allow judges to review the sentences of people sentenced to lengthy sentences under Alabama’s Habitual Offender Act even though no one was injured. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, said he plans to reintroduce legislation that would allow prisoners to speak at their parole hearings by phone or video conference at their parole hearings.