REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR KAY IVEY SIGNS BILL TO BAN GLOCK SWITCHES: Everytown, Moms Demand Action and Student Demand Action Applaud Bipartisan Action to Get Illegal Machine Guns Off of Our Streets 

Alabama Becomes the 25th State to Enact a Ban on Glock Switches, With Republican Governors in Mississippi and Virginia Signing Bans Last Session

MONTGOMERY, AL—The Alabama chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements in response to Republican Governor Kay Ivey signing SB 116, legislation that will ban Glock switches and other conversion devices that turn semi-automatic firearms into machine guns. Lawmakers in both the House and the Senate passed the bill with bipartisan support. Today marks the latest in a string of bipartisan movements to ban these illegal machine guns with Governors in Mississippi, Virginia and Maryland signing bans last year. With this victory, half of the states in the country now have a Glock switch ban on the books. 

“Alabamians across the political spectrum have been demanding a common-sense law to stop criminals from transforming handguns into illegal machine guns — and today, Governor Ivey and the Alabama legislature are delivering,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “The passage of this bill in a Republican-led state is a reminder that gun safety isn’t a right-or-left issue, it’s a life-or-death issue, and progress is possible everywhere.”

“This is a huge win for every person in Alabama who wants to keep their loved ones safe, no matter their politics,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “Illegal machine guns have no place in our communities, and Alabama just proved that getting them off our streets isn’t controversial, it’s common sense. We’re deeply grateful to Governor Ivey, bipartisan Alabama lawmakers, and our movement across the state for fighting to make this lifesaving bill a reality.”

“Regardless of what side of the aisle you’re on, we can all agree that nobody should worry they could fall victim to a handgun equipped to fire like a machine gun because of a Glock switch,” said Melissa Bailey, a volunteer with the Alabama chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We’ve seen the kind of devastation that can be inflicted upon innocent bystanders when these Glock switches are in our streets, and we’re grateful to Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama legislature who took this major step forward to save lives in Alabama.”

“Last fall, a shooter used a Glock switch to kill a person and wound 16 others, including me, at a party during Tuskegee’s homecoming week,” said Amaya Waymon, a gun violence survivor and volunteer with the Students Demand Action chapter at Tuskegee University in Alabama. “There’s no reason civilians should have access to weapons of war, and today marks a massive step towards making our schools, homes, and communities safer in Alabama.” 

Machine gun conversion devices, including “Glock switches,” are aftermarket devices that allow users to convert semi-automatic firearms into illegal fully automatic machine guns. These devices have been used in several mass shootings, including in Birmingham in September 2024 and Tuskegee in November 2024. They also pose a particular threat to law enforcement officers. Glock switches have been used in shootings that injured and killed law enforcement officers across the country, including in Mississippi, Texas, and Colorado.

Alabama law enforcement and local elected leaders have supported the prohibition of these deadly devices to save lives and protect law enforcement. With a Glock switch installed, a shooter can fire an entire magazine’s worth of ammunition in seconds. Data from the ATF shows the number of Glock switches recovered by law enforcement in Alabama has increased by over 1,200%, year over year. 

In an average year, 1,220 people die and 2,855 are wounded by guns in Alabama. Alabama has the 4th-highest rate of gun violence in the US. In Alabama, the rate of gun deaths increased 52% from 2014 to 2023, compared to a 34% increase nationwide. Gun violence costs Alabama $15.4 billion each year, of which $421.4 million is paid by taxpayers.

To speak with an Alabama Moms Demand Action volunteer, please do not hesitate to reach out to [email protected].