This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to authorize the Covington County Sheriff to sell abandoned, stolen, and unclaimed personal property and firearms, with proceeds used for law enforcement. The amendment requires the sheriff to maintain public records of recovered items and store them properly, while allowing immediate sale of perishable property without notice if owners cannot be found. Firearms would be sold only to licensed gun dealers through sealed bidding, and other unclaimed property would be auctioned publicly after proper notice and a six-month waiting period. Owners can reclaim their property before sale by proving ownership and paying recovery and storage costs. If unclaimed after six months, net proceeds from sales would be deposited into a dedicated fund for the sheriff's office to use at their discretion for law enforcement purposes.
This bill prohibits individuals from carrying firearms in specific Alabama municipalities without a valid form of identification. It applies only to Class 1 municipalities and Class 3 municipalities organized under Act 618, requiring people to produce ID when asked by law enforcement. The law allows individuals to avoid penalties if they can verify their identity to an officer even without physical ID, and courts must dismiss charges and expunge records if valid ID is later produced. Violations would result in a Class C misdemeanor charge. The bill would take effect on October 1, 2026.
SB 267 requires most Alabamians to obtain a permit to carry a pistol in a vehicle or on their person starting January 1, 2027, replacing the current no-permit requirement. Exceptions include carrying on personal property, at home, at a fixed business location, or with an unloaded pistol locked in a vehicle compartment. Violating this requirement would be a Class A misdemeanor. Existing concealed carry permits remain valid until the effective date, and the bill also revises employer property carry rules and makes minor code adjustments.
HB 420 increases penalties for discharging a firearm into an occupied school bus or school building to a Class A felony, the highest level of felony in Alabama. It also establishes a Class B felony for firing a gun on school property during school hours or activities, and a Class C felony for other discharges on school property. The bill includes exceptions for self-defense, organized firearm competitions, and school-sanctioned events involving firearms. The law will take effect on October 1, 2026.
SB 254 modifies Alabama's parole revocation process for individuals convicted of specific serious offenses (like violent crimes, sex offenses, or firearm violations). It replaces automatic parole revocation for these cases with board discretion to consider the full circumstances of a violation and choose appropriate sanctions, rather than mandating prison time. The bill also allows the parole board to reinstate parole immediately if new criminal charges leading to revocation are dismissed, resolved as a misdemeanor, or result in an acquittal. This change directly affects parolees convicted of the enumerated offenses who face new charges or violations, shifting decision-making from automatic penalties to case-by-case review.
HB 266 expands Alabama's reckless endangerment law to specifically address risks to multiple people, creating a new offense for reckless conduct that endangers more than one individual. It increases penalties: endangering multiple people becomes a Class C felony (up from a misdemeanor for single-person endangerment), and using a firearm during such an act elevates the charge to a Class B felony. The bill directly affects individuals whose reckless actions - like reckless driving in a crowd or threatening a group - create serious injury risks to multiple people, with harsher consequences when firearms are involved. These changes clarify and strengthen penalties for group endangerment scenarios under existing Alabama law.
SB 156 establishes a process for courts to issue gun violence protective orders when an individual poses an immediate danger of causing injury to themselves or others. Law enforcement officers, teachers, or family members can petition for an ex parte order (temporary, valid until a hearing within 14 days) requiring the respondent to surrender all firearms and ammunition to law enforcement. If the danger continues, a one-year order may be issued, with provisions for renewal or early termination under specific conditions. Violating these orders would result in criminal penalties.
SB 142 expands Alabama's reckless endangerment law by adding a new provision for conduct creating a substantial risk of serious injury to multiple people, which would be punishable as a Class C felony. It also increases penalties for using a firearm during such an offense, elevating it to a Class B felony. The bill directly affects individuals who recklessly endanger multiple people or use weapons while committing reckless endangerment. These changes would take effect on October 1, 2026, modifying existing penalties under Alabama Code Section 13A-6-24.
