Alabama Senate approves bill banning Glock switches

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A bill that would make Glock switches illegal on firearms in Alabama is one step away from becoming the law.

On Tuesday, the Alabama Senate approved SB116, a bill that would make the switch, which can turn a handgun into a fully automatic weapon, a class C felony. Now, the bill will go to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk to be signed into law.

Birmingham leaders believe that a Glock switch was used in the mass shooting in Five Points South last year, where four people were killed and 17 others injured.

A similar attempt to ban Glock switches failed to progress during the last legislative session. While it is a federal crime to own a switch, there are no Alabama laws on the books that address it.

“The hope is that we deter people in the first place,” said Rep. Philip Ensler, who worked on a House bill that complemented the Senate bill. “If they know that there’s a state level ban, and they know that Alabama is taking it seriously, hopefully, it’ll stop people from having these in the first place.”

Earlier this month, Ivey expressed support for the bill, adding that she was looking forward to signing it into law.

If approved by Ivey, the law would go into effect Oct. 1