Alabama Governor Signs Bill Banning Gun Conversion Devices

Alabama’s governor signed into law on Wednesday a ban on the conversion of pistols into fully automatic weapons, a move that follows a year of widespread gun violence in the state.

The devices, some of which are known as Glock switches, are already banned under federal law. But local law enforcement officials have said that not having a state law made it hard to charge and prosecute people who used them, fueling an epidemic of shootings in cities like Birmingham.

Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, who had previously pushed for the bipartisan bill, said in a statement that “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.”

The devices are able to inflict indiscriminate carnage in seconds by transforming semiautomatic handguns into makeshift machine guns that fire dozens of bullets with one tug. For years, they have played a role in scores of gun deaths in the state.

Other deeply red states have also recently passed bans on the devices, including Mississippi and South Carolina. Tennessee lawmakers are weighing a similar ban. In all, more than 20 states have banned the devices, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-control group.

In some states, Democratic lawmakers are pushing for stricter laws on the devices. Legislators in New York recently introduced a bill that would not only ban Glock switches but also outlaw the sale of any semiautomatic pistols that can easily be modified in that manner.