SB293 Alabama 2011 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

Low Interest

Summary

Primary Sponsor: William “Bill” M. BeasleySenator
Democrat
Co-Sponsors: Gerald O. Dial Tom Whatley
Session: Regular Session 2011
Title: Lee Co., sheriff, authorized to sell certain abandoned, unclaimed, or stolen firearms, Act 98-577, 1998 Reg. Sess. am'd.
Summary: SB293 amends Lee County firearms laws to require detailed recordkeeping of abandoned and stolen guns and to authorize the sheriff to sell or destroy them after six months, with sales by sealed bid to licensed dealers.
What This Bill Does
The sheriff must keep a separate permanent record of all abandoned and stolen firearms, including a description, recovery date, serial or identifying number, and place of recovery. If the firearm owner does not claim it within six months of the sheriff obtaining it, the sheriff may sell or destroy the firearm. The sheriff may sell the firearms to licensed dealers inside or outside Alabama, using a procedure to notify dealers and awarding the sale to the highest sealed bid; sales are cash-based and proceeds go to the Lee County Office of the Sheriff after expenses. The sheriff may establish a procedure to destroy firearms and may spend sheriff department funds to do so. The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after its passage and governor approval.

Who It Affects
Firearm owners in Lee County who have abandoned or stolen firearms recovered by the sheriff; if unclaimed after six months, the firearms may be sold or destroyed in accordance with the new rules.
Licensed gun dealers (in-state and out-of-state) who may participate in buying these firearms through the highest sealed bid process.

Key Provisions
Section 3(a): The sheriff must maintain a separate permanent record for all abandoned and stolen firearms, including description, recovery date, serial/ID number, and place of recovery.
Section 3(b): If the owner does not claim the firearm within six months, the sheriff may sell or destroy the firearm.
Section 3(c): The sheriff may sell firearms to licensed dealers inside or outside Alabama; dealers are notified of sales; the highest sealed bid wins; sales are cash transactions; proceeds go to the Lee County Sheriff's Office after expenses.
Section 3(d): The sheriff may establish a destruction procedure and spend funds as needed to destroy firearms.
Section 2: The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after passage and governor approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Lee County