SB119 Alabama 2025 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Will BarfootSenator

Republican

Session

2025 Regular Session

Title

Firearms, revise circumstances when firearm possession is prohibited

Summary

SB119 expands firearm prohibitions, raises penalties for firing into occupied spaces, and strengthens parole, probation, and pretrial detention rules when firearms are involved.

What This Bill Does

It broadens who is forbidden to possess a firearm to include anyone convicted of a felony (within five years or three or more felonies at any time), crimes of violence, misdemeanor domestic violence, anyone under a valid protection order, and anyone who is of unsound mind. It also creates a new rule that a person charged with violence, domestic violence, or a violent offense who is released pending trial cannot possess a firearm, with violations becoming a Class C felony. The bill increases the penalty for discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling or building to a Class A felony and adds related provisions for certain prohibited possessors (including aliens and, with exceptions, minors). It strengthens enforcement by allowing parole or probation to be revoked for firearm possession by someone forbidden and establishes parole court processes and sanctions, and it expands pretrial detention and bail denial rules for certain serious offenses.

Who It Affects

• People convicted of any felony (especially those with recent felonies or multiple felonies) and those convicted of violent offenses, misdemeanor domestic violence, or who are subject to a protection order, who would be prohibited from possessing firearms.
• People charged with violence, domestic violence, or violent offenses who are released pending trial, who would be prohibited from firearm possession until their case is resolved (violation would be a Class C felony).
• Parolees and probationers who possess a firearm while forbidden, who could face parole/probation revocation and possible confinement under new parole/probation procedures.
• Minors, who are generally barred from firearm possession but may possess under supervised, listed circumstances (such as hunter education, supervised practice or range shooting, organized competitions, hunting with permission, or travel with specific safeguards).
• Aliens illegally in the United States or nonimmigrant visa holders, who would be barred from firearm possession.
• School settings and personnel, with certain exemptions for law enforcement and designated school security roles.

Key Provisions

• Expands prohibitions on firearm possession to include any felony conviction (within five years), three or more felonies from any time, crimes of violence, misdemeanor domestic violence, protection orders, and unsound mind; creates a Class C felony for violations; provides an affirmative defense for pardons restoring firearm rights.
• Adds Section 13A-11-72.2 making it unlawful to possess a firearm while charged with violence, DV, or a listed violent offense and released pending or during trial; requires underlying conviction for conviction under this section; violation is a Class C felony.
• Amends 13A-11-61 to prohibit discharging a firearm or other deadly weapon into occupied dwellings/buildings or certain vehicles/structures, with Class B felony for occupied targets and Class C felony for unoccupied targets; includes exemptions for certain personnel and situations.
• Amends probation and parole provisions (Sections 15-22-32 and 15-22-54) to allow revocation of parole or probation for firearm possession by those forbidden to possess, establishes a parole court, consolidates sanctions and confinement limits (up to 45 days per period, up to three periods for parole and probation), and sets procedures for hearings and confinement.
• Expands pretrial detention bail provisions (Section 15-13-3) to allow denial of bail for enumerated serious offenses and to require pretrial detention hearings with specified rights; adds criteria for determining conditions of release and requires timely court orders.

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