By Lee Williams
SAF Investigative Journalism Project
Special to Liberty Park Press
Alabama banned so-called “Glock switches” Wednesday, which are already prohibited by federal law, when Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill that makes possession of a full-auto switch a felony in Alabama punishable by up to 10 years in prison, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
“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,” Ivey’s press release states.
Alabama Senator Will Barfoot, R-Montgomery, who authored the bill, told the local media that that “guns and conversion devices are not the real problem. The real problem are the people who use those.”
The Glock-switch ban may not be the last gun-related law that Alabama’s governor supports.
“Governor Ivey began the legislative session by stating bolstering public safety is her number one priority, and she looks forward to the other bills working their way through the legislative process and reaching her desk,” according to her press release.
An Associated Press story written Tuesday states that the bill had much Democratic support.
The AP story claims Alabama had one of the highest rates of “gun violence” in the country, a comment which is linked to a 2022 graphic from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Other local news stories contained links to more anti-gun websites, such as Johns Hopkins Annual Firearm Mortality Report.
Those who strongly oppose Second Amendment rights were quick to claim credit for the new law.
“The devices are banned under federal law and in 23 states, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. Supporters said a state ban will allow local law enforcement to prosecute people for the possession of the devices,” the AP story states.
Everytown for Gun Safety lauded the Governor’s decision, dedicating a full-page press release to the news, which contains quotes from the anti-gun group’s president, executive director, a local volunteer in Alabama and a “gun violence survivor.”
Takeaways
Gov. Ivey said she believes that creating a new law banning Glock switches will “empower” her state law enforcement to go after the problem directly and make arrests, but this may not work as she expected.
Traditionally, state and local law enforcement have always been slow to enforce new laws, especially those that copy federal statutes. Besides, state and local law enforcement agencies may not have the expertise to test and/or testify about the Glock switches that may soon be headed their way.
Despite its long list of internal problems, the ATF has successfully prosecuted many Glock-switch cases. ATF’s own files are full of successful prosecutions for the devices, which were accompanied by lab support and technical expertise. Many of the federal cases were the result of investigations started by local law enforcement.
Gun-rights proponents may not see much negative impact from Alabama’s new Glock-switch law. Serious shooters have never even seen one and would certainly never own one. However, Alabama’s new state law is a clear victory for the anti-gunners, who are already using it to raise money, which they will use to propose more anti-gun laws, including those that will harm our gun rights.
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