HB362 Alabama 2015 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Ritchie WhortonRepresentative
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2015
Title: Jackson Co., firearms, sheriff authorize to sell abandoned or stolen firearms to highest bidder under certain conditions, Sec. 45-36-231.02 am'd.
Summary: HB362 lets the Jackson County sheriff sell abandoned or stolen firearms to the highest bidder who can legally buy guns in Alabama, with proceeds used for law enforcement.
What This Bill Does
The sheriff must keep a permanent record of recovered firearms and may sell unclaimed ones to licensed Alabama gun dealers by a highest sealed bid, cash-only, with a required background check. If a bidder is legally prohibited from purchasing a firearm, the item goes back to auction and the bidder is refunded. Proceeds go to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement purposes, and the sheriff may destroy firearms as needed. The act also applies to firearms held by the sheriff on August 1, 2012, which must be held for at least six months after that date. The law becomes effective a few months after the Governor signs it.

Who It Affects
Jackson County Sheriff's Office – must maintain records, notify dealers, conduct sales, and manage use of sale proceeds for law enforcement.
Licensed Alabama gun dealers – eligible buyers; must have at least one year of active business license and receive notice of sales; participate in the sealed bid process.
Prospective bidders – must pass a background check and be legally eligible to purchase firearms in Alabama; ineligible bidders are refunded and the firearm is reauctioned.
Owners of abandoned or stolen firearms in Jackson County – their items may be sold or disposed of under the new process after meeting the required time frames.

Key Provisions
Provision 1: Amends Section 45-36-231.02 to authorize the sheriff to sell abandoned or stolen firearms to the highest sealed bidder who may legally purchase a firearm in Alabama, with sales conducted on a cash basis and subject to a background check; sale proceeds go to the Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement.
Provision 2: Sets the sale/disposition procedures (permanent record-keeping, dealer notification, minimum one-year dealer license requirement, six-month unclaimed period, refunds if bid is invalid, potential destruction of firearms) and includes a grandfather clause for firearms held as of August 1, 2012, with the act becoming effective a few months after approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Jackson County