SB322 Alabama 2022 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Gerald H. AllenSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2022

Title

Firearms, revise definition of shotgun, Sec. 13A-11-62 am'd.

Summary

SB322 would restore Alabama's shotgun definition to require firing from the shoulder and shooting multiple pellets or a single projectile per trigger pull.

What This Bill Does

If enacted, the bill amends Section 13A-11-62 to redefine shotgun as a weapon intended to be fired from the shoulder and designed or redesigned to use the energy of a shotgun shell to fire either a number of ball shot or a single projectile per trigger pull. It reverses recent changes to the definition and clarifies how shotguns (and related firearms) are classified. The bill maintains the existing definitions for rifles and short-barreled variants as part of the same section.

Who It Affects

• Shotgun owners and users: the legal classification of their firearms would require shoulder firing and the specified shot delivery per trigger pull.
• Law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts: they would apply the updated definition when interpreting firearm laws and charges.

Key Provisions

• Restores the shoulder-fired criterion to the shotgun definition in Section 13A-11-62.
• Restores the criterion that a shotgun must be designed or remade to fire a number of ball shot or a single projectile for each pull of the trigger.
• Amends Section 13A-11-62 as amended by Act 2022-133, 2022 Regular Session.
• Effective date: January 1, 2023.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Firearms