MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Kay Ivey was joined at the Capitol Wednesday by mayors from some of the state’s largest cities to advocate for a package of bills designed to improve public safety and reduce crime, dubbed ‘Safe Alabama.’
And while much of the package has strong bipartisan support, something Ivey touted during the event, House Democrats have voiced opposition to at least one of the package’s inclusions, and raised concerns for others.
“Every state in our nation is facing increasing public safety challenges, and unfortunately, our state is not immune, so we’re going to do something about it,” Ivey said, speaking in the Old House Chamber to well over 100 state lawmakers, officials and members of law enforcement.
“Look around the room today; we have Republicans, we have Democrats, members of law enforcement, members of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, we have state and local government officials, members of the business community, and so forth. This package is responsible and it’s important.”
Ivey did not take press questions at the event.
The ‘Safe Alabama’ bill package, first unveiled in January and expanded upon last week in Ivey’s State of the State address, includes eight bills. Among them is legislation that would ban Glock switches, which are firearm modifications that increase a weapon’s rate of fire, expand crime suppression groups, impose enhanced criminal penalties for gun crimes, and expand legal and liability protections for police, among others.
House Democrats have voiced support for the majority of the package, particularly the proposal to ban Glock switches, carried by Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, in the House, and by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, in the Senate. The proposal to expand legal protections for police, dubbed the Back the Blue Legal Protection Act, however, has raised concern among the state’s minority party.
“The civil immunity bill dealing with liability or immunity for police officers, we have concerns in our caucus about that, certainly how it may impact particularly Black residents and residents of color,” Ensler told ADN during the event. “We want to look more at the details of it.”
The House Democratic Caucus released a statement Wednesday expressing its opposition to the bill, arguing that it would not “improve public safety, prevent crime, or reduce the prevalence of gun violence in our streets.”
The Senate version of that bill was carried over without discussion Wednesday morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, called the package a “testament to the power of partnership,” noting that the package’s origins can be traced to a meeting between himself and two Democratic House representatives last year.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, a Republican, called the package a “comprehensive action that broadens our efforts to keep citizens safe,” and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, a Democrat, said it is a tool that would “enhance public safety in Mobile and statewide.” Birmingham’s Democrat Mayor Randall Woodfin also championed the package, particularly the proposal to ban Glock switches.
Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham has been a key player in helping draft the package of bills, and spoke during the event of his overwhelming support of the Legislature’s and governor’s efforts to advance it. He later said he was particularly excited about the Glock switch ban, telling ADN that he and other members of law enforcement regularly encounter minors in possession of firearms modified with such devices.
“Just last week we stopped a car with three juveniles that (had) four semi-automatic handguns; one of them had a 100-round drum with a Glock switch on it,” Cunningham told ADN. “Then that same night, we went and got six more weapons, two of them had Glock switches on them, from some young people. It’s a common thing and it’s always involving our juveniles.”
Glock switchers are already prohibited under federal law, but the legislation in the State House would give law enforcement the ability to make an immediate arrest under state statute.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday advanced the Senate version of the Glock ban, SB116, by Sen. William Barfoot. While the Glock ban effort passed the House last year, it didn’t gain traction in the Senate. Barfoot told ADN that was in part because of language that would have banned binary triggers. Allowed by federal law, binary triggers allow a semi-automatic firearm to fire one round when the trigger is pulled and another when it is released, Barfoot explained. His and Ensler’s bills now allow for binary triggers.
The Senate committee also advanced Wednesday Senate Bill 118, also sponsored by Barfoot, which would expand under existing law the crimes for which judges may deny bail to defendants. It adds attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and soliciting murder, as well as shooting into an occupied dwelling or vehicle.
Both of Barfoot’s bills now move to the Senate.
Ensler also voiced concern over a proposal that would expand the ability of the state to impose electronic monitoring of delinquent juveniles. While not voicing outright opposition to the bill, it was named as another potential bill of concern for House Democrats.
“Today is not a fix all, it’s not going to be the panacea that’s going to stop all gun violence,” he told ADN. “There’s some good things in there, but we also have to push and promote the things on the front end that are going to help, especially our young people, prevent them from getting involved in gun violence in the first place.”