SB116 is on calendar for a full vote on the House floor today, it has already passed the Senate. The bill was amended yesterday that it goes in effect as soon as Gov. Ivy signs it. Make our voices heard by calling your Representatives and telling them vote NO SB116.

Glock Switch’ legislation headed to House floor for final vote despite gun right groups objections

Apryl Marie Fogel | 03.06.25

The Alabama legislature is one step closer to passing a “Glock switch” bill that would create a state prohibition on conversion devices, which are already against federal law.

Senate Bill 116, sponsored by State Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road), passed the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee with two amendments, including one that would make it take effect immediately.

The bill appears on the Special Order calendar for the House to take up Thursday.

It passed the full Senate by a vote of 28-0, with six senators not voting or not present earlier this session.

The bill prohibits persons from possessing a part or combination of parts designed or intended to convert a pistol into a machine gun, making it a Class C felony.

The bill has split lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, with Gov. Kay Ivey supporting it and U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) opposing it.

“I think as long as we’ve got it federally, I mean, a federal crime is just as bad as a state crime, so we should not have switches that make an automatic weapon out of a pistol,” Tuberville stated. “My God, why should we have that? But there is no reason for legislation on that. When people have that, and we find out they have it, put them in jail.”

He continued, “Federal marshals should be involved. FBI should be involved. Anybody to do with gang-related problems should be involved. Most of these are gang-related, drug-related, gun-related. You know, guns and drugs and human trafficking, folks, are coming across that border down there. I’ve seen it. I’ve been down there. And I’m getting sick and tired of politicians on both sides denying this is happening, and it’s ruining our country.”

One of the biggest, strongest supporters has been Birmingham’s Randall Woodfin, who testified that he blamed the devices for the city’s 2024 record-breaking high rate of homicide. Woodfin’s primary opponent, however, has said that the issue of “Glock switches” is a distraction from the city’s true crisis, a Woodfin-created officer shortage.

“Make no mistake about it: guns and conversion devices are not the real problem. The real problem are the people who use those,” Barfoot said during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing response to Woodfin’s comments blaming the devices for the rising homicides.

Second Amendment activists are concerned that the bill will be used against those lawfully exercising their right to bear arms.

BamaCarry, Inc., Alabama’s only “No Compromise” gun rights group, sent out an alert to members to write their lawmakers ahead of the Wednesday committee vote saying:

SB116 is a dangerous piece of legislation that threatens the rights of law-abiding gun owners in Alabama. This bill goes beyond regulating machine guns—it broadly criminalizes the possession of certain firearm parts, even if they are not assembled into a working firearm. With vague language and overly broad definitions, SB116 could turn responsible gun owners into felons for merely possessing components that have legitimate, legal uses. Worse yet, the bill fails to clearly exempt binary triggers and forced reset triggers (FRTs), leaving them in a legal gray area that could lead to wrongful enforcement.

We need your help to stop this bill before it unfairly penalizes responsible firearm owners. Contact the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee and demand that they remove the excessive language targeting firearm parts and explicitly exempt binary triggers and FRTs. Your voice matters—send an email, make a call, and urge your legislators to protect your Second Amendment rights by opposing SB116!

Apryl Marie Fogel is a Birmingham resident who frequently appears on and guest hosts radio programs around the state. She can be reached at aprylmarie.fogel@1819news.com or on X and Facebook at @aprylmarie.