Alabama House passes bill criminalizing ‘Glock switches’

Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, speaks to a colleague on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on April 25, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday to ban trigger activators, such as “Glock switches.” 

HB 36, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, would ban the possession of any part or combination of parts designed or intended to convert a firearm into a machine gun. It would make possession a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. 

The bill passed 60-38.

“The whole point is that it will stop some people and that can then stop some people from using them which can save lives. And if they can save one life, to me, it is absolutely worth it. And that is why I’m up here,” Ensler said on the House floor.

Rep. Rick Rehm, R-Dothan, was critical of the bill, getting up to speak against it three times. He brought up historically-used pro-gun arguments, such as claiming that guns don’t kill people.

“You actually described how a gun went and killed a bunch of folks, or shot a bunch of folks. That gun didn’t do anything. That gun is an inanimate object. It’s a tool. A human chose to do evil,” he said.

He said that if people can get these devices illegally, he wouldn’t be able to protect his family because his weapons wouldn’t be as powerful.

“I should have the same ability to protect my family with the same caliber weapons and that’s the deterrent,” he said.

Ensler said that having a modified gun with a Glock switch wouldn’t necessarily help him because after the first shot, it’s hard to control aim while the gun is rapidly firing. Ensler said he’d probably put his family in more danger by using such a device that is hard to aim.

Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, asked if Ensler supported the Second Amendment, and whether the U.S. Constitution would have been ratified without it.

“It’s an integral part of it as is every amendment in the Constitution and certainly in the Bill of Rights,” Ensler said. “This in no way infringes on the Second Amendment.”

Butler claimed the founding fathers would “never support legislation restricting the right of the people to keep and bear arms,” and urged members to vote against the bill.

Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, said that if she had to follow what the Founding Fathers wanted, she wouldn’t be standing in the Legislature today.

“We’re just trying to make sure that there are safeguards to protect innocent lives here, but if you want to continue the wild, wild west and for people to be murdered, then your decision shows up on their board,” Givan said.

Rep. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster, spoke in support of the bill. He said that he supports the Second Amendment “fully.” He said this was not an infringement on the Second Amendment but said he “fully” supports the bill “because this is a public safety issue.” 

He said he got up to speak on the bill to share his “law enforcement knowledge.”

“This has to do with a reckless discharge of a handgun that is injuring and killing people in our state, and as a legislative body, we have to be comfortable to stand up, despite any of our feelings that we might get into a debate about this being a second amendment issue,” Bedsole said.

Rep. Randy Wood, R-Anniston, introduced a similar bill last year to make it a Class B felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, for a person to possess, obtain, receive, sell, use, manufacture, assemble, import or transport a trigger activator. The bill did not make it out of the House. Wood did not speak on Ensler’s bill.

The bill goes to the Senate for consideration. It would need two legislative days to pass. There are only four legislative days left in the 2024 session.

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