Alabama’s Glock Switch Ban: A Political Show?

A information story gaining numerous traction out of Alabama is bragging a few “uncommon bipartisan consensus” of mayors, lawmakers and legislators working collectively to “stem gun violence.”

In keeping with a report at wfsa.com, this bipartisan coalition has “endorsed a public security package deal on Thursday that may ban the gadgets that convert semi-automatic weapons into machine weapons—a uncommon consensus on gun restrictions and a departure from years of battle about the way to stem gun violence.”

Wow! At first blush, readers would possibly assume that there are some actually essential issues occurring within the Yellowhammer State.

“Even when there are some issues we could not agree with, right this moment is a serious deal,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin mentioned after native regulation enforcement and leaders in each legislative chambers endorsed Gov. Kay Ivey’s public security package deal.

Nevertheless, a deeper have a look at that public security package deal, notably the part being touted within the information report, reveals it’s simply a lot ado about nothing. What it does is make possession of so-called “Glock switches” unlawful in Alabama.

The “Glock change,” or “Glock auto-sear,” is a bit of metallic or plastic that can be utilized to illegally convert Glock pistols to fireside full-auto, versus the conventional, as-manufactured-and-sold semi-auto perform of the favored handguns. In a nutshell, a “Glock change” is a small piece of metallic or plastic that somebody may make and illegally connect to the rear of the slide of a Glock to transform it to full-auto hearth. The change works by making use of power to the set off bar to forestall it from limiting hearth to 1 spherical of ammunition per set off pull. 

The identify is intentionally deceptive as a result of Glock doesn’t manufacture the switches. Moreover, changing any firearm to fireside totally automated is a federal felony, and even possessing a “Glock change” may end up in a federal jail sentence of as much as 10 years.

I suppose what the Alabama proposal would really do is make possessing a Glock change much more unlawful—name it, double-secret unlawful—regardless of it already being a severe federal felony. That begs the query of why state officers are even pushing such a proposal.

The identical might be mentioned about many different states, too, which have gone to the difficulty to “re-ban” the gadgets.

Whereas the proposed Alabama ban gained’t accomplish something, I imagine it really offers cowl to each Democrats and Republicans. Democrat politicians can say they “are doing one thing” in regards to the violent crime drawback, thereby preserving anti-gun donor {dollars} coming into their reelection campaigns. Conversely, if questioned by constituents for supporting an anti-gun measure, Republicans can say for the reason that gadget was already banned federally they didn’t actually infringe on anyone’s rights beneath the Second Modification.

Whereas that may appear to be a cynical tackle the matter, it’s exhausting to see what else could possibly be gained by passing such a regulation. Nevertheless, with two current courtroom rulings that discovered the ban on machine gun possession to be unconstitutional, “Glock change” bans is perhaps even much less related.

In August 2024, a federal choose in Wichita, Kansas, dominated that the federal regulation tightly regulating the possession and switch of full-auto firearms is unconstitutional beneath the 2022 Bruen choice. And, in January, a U.S. district choose in Mississippi additionally dominated that the federal regulation successfully banning the sale and possession of newly produced or unregistered machine weapons was unconstitutional.