Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey delivers the State of the State address in the Old House Chamber at the Alabama State Capitol on Feb. 4, 2025 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Will McClelland for Alabama Reflector)
Gov. Kay Ivey Wednesday signed a bill making possession of a “Glock switch,” which converts semi-automatic handguns into fully automatic weapons, a state crime.
SB 116, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, would make it a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine, for a person to own or sell the combination of parts that create a Glock switch. The legislation does not apply to law enforcement or people who register their firearms with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
“While there is a federal ban on these gun conversion devices, we needed a way to empower our own law enforcement here in Alabama to get these illegal and extremely dangerous Glock switches off our streets. I am proud to support law enforcement and work to combat crime by putting my signature on SB 116,” Ivey said in a statement.
Glock switches were used in a mass shooting in Birmingham last September that killed four people and left 17 injured. The device is already illegal under federal law, but lawmakers and supporters say making it a state offense will allow state officials to prosecute possession under state law.
Ivey endorsed the legislation in the 2025 State of the State speech as part of a broader public safety package. The bill was the first firearm restriction legislation to pass the Alabama House of Representatives since 2010.
Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, who has sponsored a similar bill each year since the 2023, said in a statement that passing gun legislation is not easy but that supporters “overcame resistance to gun safety legislation and passed a state law prohibiting one of the most dangerous gun accessories that exist.”
“Today, we proved that progress can happen and that the Alabama legislature can come together to help solve real problems,” Ensler said in a statement.
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