With violent crime on the rise in several major Alabama municipalities, the legislature is taking a hard stand against machine gun conversion devices that the federal government already outlaws.
Senate Bill 116 by State Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) passed by a vote of 28-0, with six senators not voting or not present. 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 been a priority of democrat mayors, including Mayor Randall Woodfin, who, during a committee hearing, said the devices were to blame for the City of Birmingham seeing its highest homicide rate on record.
"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 in response to Woodfin's comments.
State Sen. Roger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) offered an amendment that changed the following section:
(b) No person shall knowingly own or have in his or her possession, control, care, or custody a part or combination of parts designed or intended to convert a pistol into a machine gun.
(b) A person who possesses, obtains, receives, sells, or uses a combination of parts designed or intended to convert a pistol into a machine gun is guilty of a Class C felony.
Earlier this session, the Senate passed Senate Bill 32 by Smitherman to require any person who causes the death of another person using a machine gun under certain circumstances to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if the defendant was 18 years of age or older at the time of the offense and to either life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or life imprisonment if the defendant was under 18 years of age at the time of the offense.
The bill would also provide that assault in the first degree and assault in the second degree where a machine gun is used is a Class A felony, and the person shall be sentenced to life imprisonment.
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.
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