On March 19, Gov. Kay Ivey signed Alabama’s newest gun regulation, Senate Bill 116 (SB116), the Glock switch ban, into law. The law makes anyone possessing, receiving, selling or using a part or combination of parts designed and intended to convert a pistol into a machine gun guilty of a Class C felony, punishable by a mandatory minimum imprisonment of one year and a day, up to 10 years, and a fine up to $15,000.
The Alabama Senate passed SB116, introduced by State Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road), by a vote of 28-0, with six senators either abstaining or not present. The House passed SB116 by a vote of 77-23. The Republican Party of Alabama holds a supermajority in the state legislature, with 76 of 105 seats in the House and 26 of 35 seats in the Senate.
Ivey’s statement upon signing the ban provides a glimpse into the rationale for why Alabama’s Republican supermajority just pushed through the new gun control measure:
While there is a federal ban on these gun conversion devices, we needed a way to empower our own law enforcement here in Alabama to get these illegal and extremely dangerous Glock switches off our streets. I am proud to support law enforcement and work to combat crime by putting my signature on SB116.
But despite the tough-on-crime optics, the law raises more questions than answers – about political priorities, Second Amendment consistency, and the creeping expansion of state power under the direction of one of the most Republican states in the country.
Start with the basics: Glock switches are already illegal under federal law. Under the National Firearms Act and Gun Control Act, possessing one is legally equivalent to owning an unregistered machine gun. That’s already a federal felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. So what does SB116 really add?
For starters, SB116 enforces Alabama’s Class C felony structure which includes a mandatory minimum: one year and one day in prison with no parole or probation. That’s a significant step beyond federal law, which gives judges discretion in sentencing. In effect, SB116 ties the hands of courts and guarantees jail time – even in cases where no actual conversion device was used or where mitigating factors might apply.
The bill’s language is also vague. It criminalizes not just possession of an actual conversion device, but also any “part or combination of parts” designed and intended to convert a semi-automatic pistol into a machine gun. That’s a legal landmine. In an era of hobbyist gunsmithing and 3D printing, it opens the door to prosecuting people based on alleged “intent” or ambiguous components that may not even be illegal under federal standards.
Prior to SB116, Glock switches were already federally illegal, and Alabama law enforcement could seize them as contraband and refer offenders for federal prosecution. In fact, the state had already partnered with the ATF through the Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit (MACS), which by February 2025 had seized over 100 illegal switches. MACS didn’t just confiscate them – it helped put offenders in federal court and federal prison.
With SB116, however, we now have another mandatory minimum law to add strain to our already overcrowded state prison system. Instead of deploying MACS task forces statewide, which would provide much-needed, across-the-board support to our beleaguered local police departments, SB116 is a political quick fix.
But perhaps the most troubling part of SB116 is what it says about Alabama’s political direction. The same Republican legislators who campaign on defending the Second Amendment just passed a law that doubles down on federal gun regulations. These are the same lawmakers who call red flag laws unconstitutional and say they oppose ATF overreach.
Is this policy – or political theater? Public safety – or a headline grab? If a Republican supermajority can pass a gun control law this sweeping without a single dissenting Senate vote, what else might be on the table under the guise of crime control?
It’s not that Glock switches are good. My family and I live in central Montgomery, and we still hear fully automatic gunfire regularly. Like every law-abiding Alabamian, we do not want that kind of ambiance in our communities. But so far, SB116 has not moved the needle on this problem, and I have a feeling that the vast majority of the criminals willing to spray indiscriminate automatic gunfire in the streets are not too concerned about following another new law.
Bad laws — even against bad things — set dangerous precedents. If Alabama conservatives are serious about preserving liberty and limiting government overreach, they shouldn’t fast-track new felonies and strip judicial discretion just to look tough. They should guard against exactly this kind of mission creep.
SB116 may give law enforcement one more statute to cite – but criminals don't care about statute counts. They care about whether there's anyone there to stop them. As long as our police departments continue to have significant understaffing issues, there will continue to be gunfire in the streets, no matter how many criminal laws are on the books.
If Alabama conservatives want to show they're serious about liberty, public safety, and responsible governance, they should be scaling up real enforcement capacity – not scoring hollow points with redundant laws.
Talmadge Butts is Lead Staff Attorney for the Foundation for Moral Law (www.morallaw.org). Those with constitutional concerns may call the Foundation at (334) 262-1245 or email [email protected].
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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