Alabama's Ban of Glock switches reignites debate

Photo byJay RembertonUnsplash

It’s been 500 days since a New Year’s Eve revelry in downtown Mobile ended in gunfire, leaving one person dead and 9 others shot.

Almost 400 days ago was the mass shooting in Dadeville, resulting in four deaths and 32 injuries during a tragic 16th birthday celebration.

These two tragedies, and others in Alabama, have something in common: The gunmen were armed with firearms with small - and cheap - devices called “Glock switches” or “auto sears” that converted the weapons into machine guns.

“We encounter these devices daily around our state and locally,” said Montgomery Sheriff Derrick Cunningham.

Though illegal under federal law, Glock switches are abundant in Alabama. It has become such an issue that the state’s “Big 10″ mayors (those who represent the state’s largest cities), police chiefs, district attorneys and sheriffs called on Alabama lawmakers this spring for the creation of a new state law to criminalize them.

But for the second time in two years, law enforcement’s wishes brushed up against a political reality in ruby red Alabama in the form of powerful gun right interests. By the end of session last week, HB36 – which would have outlawed Glock switches under Alabama state law – died as time expired on the 2024 legislative session.

In 2022, a similar scenario played out over a debate authorizing permitless carry in Alabama despite law enforcement’s objections.

“Our Legislature is not being proactive as it relates to protecting our citizens,” said Cunningham, a Democrat. “We wait until it’s a big problem and then we try to be creative with enforcement.”

Said Republican Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch, “There is just no good intent of someone carrying a handgun with a Glock switch on it. I am one of the biggest proponents of the 2nd Amendment that you’ll find, but that has to be common sense.”