MONTGOMERY — Two Democrat-led gun bills stalled during committee meetings Wednesday. One bill was delayed a third time while Republicans voted down the other.
First up was House Bill 103 (HB103) by State Rep. Barbara Drummond (D-Mobile). The bill would provide a criminal penalty against a parent or legal guardian when their minor child "unlawfully possesses a firearm on the premises of a public school as a result of the parent or legal guardian's failure to reasonably secure the firearm."
The bill defines a reasonably secure as "storing a firearm using a trigger lock or in a locked box or gun safe that requires a key, numerical or alphanumerical combination, or fingerprint to open."
The penalty for violating the bill would be a Class A misdemeanor, carrying up to a one-year sentence and a $6,000 fine.
The bill ultimately failed the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, with nearly every Republican opposing the measure and every Democrat supporting it. The vote was conducted by unanimous "yeas" and "nays," making a precise vote tally impossible.
Democratic lawmakers touted the measure as a commonsense solution to prevent anything from mass shootings to careless discharges in cases where a student has brought a parent's firearm to school. However, Republicans took issue with the compulsory nature of the bill and the vicarious punishing of a parent for the crime of their child.
"My basic opposition to this particular bill is that it applies a criminal offense to someone based on another person's actions," said State Rep. Ginny Shaver (R-Leesburg). "No matter what you do, if the child does take a gun to school, their action is then going to trigger a criminal penalty on someone else."
Drummond then pushed back on Shaver's comments.
"I appreciate your comments, but it is not another person's actions," Drummond retorted. "In the state of Alabama, if you are a parent or custodian of a minor child, you are responsible for that child."
She continued, "I am trying to save lives. I don't want any kid or any student to go to school fearing that somebody is going to have a gun, even if it's mistakenly."
State Rep. Ron Bolton (R-Northport) also objected to the bill, pointing to instances where a person, including minors, may need quick access to a home's firearms for self-defense.
After the bill was voted down, Drummond made a parting remark to the committee, saying, "I hope none of our children die as a result."
Later that same day, House Bill 58 (HB58) by State Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa), which would add criminal penalties to certain aspects of the state's permitless carry law, was again delayed.
In 2022, the legislature passed a law allowing lawful residents of the state to carry a firearm on their person or vehicle without a permit, often called constitutional carry or permitless carry.
The 2022 law created an obligation for citizens to inform a law enforcement officer of the presence of a firearm on their person or vehicle, often called a "duty to declare." Previously, citizens had no legal duty to inform police of the presence of a firearm. However, the law did not include penalties for not informing an officer of the presence of a gun.
HB58 would make violating the duty to declare provision a Class A misdemeanor. The bill has appeared on the House Judiciary Committee's calendar since the session began earlier this month. However, on February 5, during the committee's first meeting, Chairman Jim Hill (R-Moody) motioned to carry the bill over with the intent of voting on the legislation the following week. However, the vote was also delayed the following week.
On Wednesday, for the third week in a row, the Judiciary Committee once again carried the bill over without explanation from England or other committee members.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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