Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has endorsed a state-level ban on so-called ‘Glock switches’ as part of her public safety plan for the state; a move that’s drawn cheers from anti-gun politicians like Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, who views the ban as just one part of a larger gun control effort that includes repeal of the state’s permitless carry law. 

Ivey’s comments came during her State of the State address to lawmakers this week, and were included in the details of her public safety plan, which she called her “top priority” this year.

“We will crack down on inner city violence by enhancing penalties for dangerous felons with guns,” Ivey said in her address. “We will expand Aniah’s law, boost our successful Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit, ban Glock switches, and we will enhance supervision of high-risk juveniles. Working together, we will create a safer Alabama.”

Asked for a response to Ivey’s called for a crackdown on inner-city gun violence, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin focused on familiar themes.

“Birmingham has long been in support of a state ban on conversion devices, such as Glock switches, which are a major contributor to violent crime in our communities,” he said. “We encourage state lawmakers to join us as a unified front to reduce gun violence. This includes supporting the Glock switch ban, prohibit felons from illegal firearm possession, enhance laws related to shootings into occupied dwellings and vehicles, and supporting our police through sovereign immunity currently provided for state law enforcement officers.”

Woodfin’s most recent comments sound downright reasonable to his previous demands. Last October, after a shooting at a Birmingham nightclub left four people dead and seventeen others injured, Woodfin called on state and federal lawmakers to adopt a number of restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms.

In 2022, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the permit-less carry law, which allows people to carry a concealed gun without a license.

The mayor believes this is part of the problem. 

“We are prepared to be overly aggressive,” Woodfin said. “Dogmatic is you will and go after every shooter in the city, but as it stands, they can ride around with no permit.”

Woodfin asked members of Congress to reinstate a measure similar to the Assault Weapons Ban signed by President Clinton in the 1990s. It was lifted in 2004.

“Our country, and not just our country, but the City of Birmingham in that 10-year window saw the lowest form of gun violence,” the mayor stated. “We don’t have any interest in this whole debate about Second Amendment rights. We don’t have any interest in people who want to protect their homes, militia, whatever else you want to say.”

While Woodfin has repeatedly claimed the lack of gun control laws is to blame for Birmingham’s record-high number of homicides last year, most cities in Alabama saw a decline in homicides and non-fatal shootings. The same is true for most cities across the country, both in states with and without permitless carry laws. 

Ivey didn’t echo Woodfin’s call for a semi-auto ban or urge lawmakers to repeal Alabama’s permitless carry law during her State of the State address. And if lawmakers do end up adopting a ban on machinegun conversion devices like switches and auto sears, they’ll only be bringing Alabama in line with current federal law. Her comments, however, are a sobering reminder that Second Amendment advocates still face an uphill fight when it comes to changing the status quo on full auto firearms. If conservative politicians are calling for a ban on machine gun conversion devices in a ruby-red state like Alabama without much protest, we’ve got a long way to go when it comes to educating the public (and elected officials) on what “shall not be infringed” really means.