The Republican governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, signed a gun control bill on Wednesday, banning “Glock switches” and other devices that turn rifles and pistols into machine guns.
Ivey said: “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.”
Ivey’s office said the bill was part of a “Safe Alabama public safety package” and Ivey looked forward “to the other bills … reaching her desk”.
Everytown for Gun Safety, a group that campaigns for gun safety reform, defines “Glock switches” as a form of auto sear, “devices that convert semi-automatic firearms, which are designed to fire one shot per trigger pull, into fully automatic machine guns, allowing a shooter to continue firing as long as the trigger is depressed and the gun has ammunition.
“In other words, with an auto sear (also known as a ‘machine gun conversion device’ or MCD), someone can fire an entire magazine’s worth of ammunition in mere seconds. Worse yet, auto sears are very easy to manufacture and can even be 3D printed, which is why these components – especially those designed by third parties for Glock pistols, known as ‘Glock switches’ – are showing up at more and more crime scenes around the country.”
Everytown points out that “Glock switches” are not made by Glock, “even if they are branded or referred to as such”. Such devices have been banned federally since 1986 and were banned by 23 states before Alabama followed suit.
Gun rights groups oppose state bans, with the National Rifle Association saying: “There’s plenty to be done using existing law before law-abiding gun owners should countenance any further restrictions on their rights.”
Gun Owners of America said: “The rise in new ‘machine gun conversion devices’ is further proof that gun laws only apply to law abiding citizens and do nothing to stop criminals.”
Criminal use of machine gun conversion devices is indeed an increasing problem. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said nearly 5,500 such devices were taken into custody between 2017 and 2021, a 570% increase on the previous four years.
In 2022, the most recent year on record, Alabama saw 1,278 gun deaths at a rate of 25.2 per 100,000 people, the fourth-highest rate in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Everytown classes Alabama’s gun safety laws as “weak”, though it commends laws passed in 2015 that “keep guns away from domestic abusers”.
Philip Ensler, a Democratic state representative from Montgomery, the state capital, campaigned for the “Glock switch” ban.
On Wednesday, he said he was “immensely grateful that our legislation to pass a ban on devices that convert pistols into machine guns was signed into law and that it is effective immediately. With this law, we passed a state law prohibiting one of the most dangerous gun accessories that exist.
“Passing gun safety legislation – especially as a Democrat – in Alabama is not easy. But through the creation of a strong, diverse coalition that transcended party, we were able to enact this important measure.
“Today, we proved that progress can happen and that the Alabama legislature can come together to help solve real problems. May we always remember each and every person who has died from gun violence and may this legislation help save lives moving forward.”
