Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Gun Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Alaska senators hear hours of testimony on bill to ban "Glock switches"; no vote taken
Summary
The Senate State Affairs Committee heard extensive invited and public testimony Feb. 12 on SB203, which would add devices that convert handguns to automatic fire to Alaska—riminal law; supporters said it empowers local prosecution, opponents called it redundant and vague. The committee kept testimony open and took no vote.
Senators on the Alaska Senate State Affairs Committee heard more than two hours of testimony Feb. 12 on Senate Bill 203, a proposal to add firearm conversion devices (commonly called "Glock switches") to the state efinition of prohibited weapons.
Sponsor Senator Lukey Gale Tobin, who represents District I, framed the measure as a preventive public-safety step to give local law enforcement clear authority to prosecute possession and use of small conversion devices that can turn a semiautomatic pistol into an automatic one. "Glock switches are federally illegal," Tobin said, and "this bill seeks to make owning a Glock switch a state-level class C felony so local officers can act in a timely way." Tobin told senators the statutory language was drafted to align with federal definitions and cited conversations with other states that acted after mass shootings.
Invited testimony from Captain Scott Bartlett of the Alaska Department of Public Safety described current enforcement practices. Bartlett said troopers regularly work with ATF and FBI partners and that task force officers have charged cases involving modified handguns, but "we would seize it and then forward charges later" rather than typically arresting on the specific federal charge at the scene. He added that if the law changes, troopers would be trained to recognize and look for conversion devices, which could increase detections by patrol officers.
Public testimony split along familiar lines. Supporters said the bill closes a practical loophole and gives prosecutors and local officers a timely tool. "This bill is consistent with federal law and importantly will provide state and local law enforcement with the clear statutory authority to prosecute the possession and use of these devices at the state level," said Tori O'Connell of Sitka. Several other Alaskans, including Diane De Slover (Juneau) and Tamara Cruz Rosales (Fairbanks), urged passage on similar grounds.
Opponents argued the devices are already outlawed federally and that SB203 uses broad, vague language that could criminalize lawful ownership or nonfunctional parts and punish innocent possession. "SB203 does not give police new tools, it gives government new power," said Rick McClure, president of Alaska Gun Rights, quoting the bill's fiscal note and arguing the measure "creates traps for law‑abiding gun owners" by criminalizing objects rather than conduct. Other callers raised drafting concerns and asked whether the bill might unintentionally cover items such as short-barreled shotguns or fireworks under certain readings of the text.
Several public commenters challenged the sponsor nd staff's presentation of evidence linking conversion devices to mass shootings. Pat Martin said the bill's slide list of incidents overstated the connection, noting only a small fraction of cited mass shootings involved such devices. Tom Boutin and others urged the committee to hold the bill, saying it duplicates federal law and could produce unintended enforcement burdens.
Committee members pressed Bartlett on enforcement practice and how frequently troopers encounter conversion devices. Bartlett said encounters are infrequent in routine patrol work and most cases arise in larger organized-crime or drug investigations, but agreed that explicit state law and training could change detection and charging patterns.
Chair Kawasaki noted the committee has received a high volume of email testimony, much of it form letters, and said the committee will keep public testimony open and provide written guidance for submitting individualized comments. The sponsor read the relevant federal statutory language into the record and reiterated that the bill dds a device-based prohibition aligned with those federal definitions.
No motion or vote occurred. The committee left the public record open for written testimony to senatestateaffairs@akleg.gov and said it would hold further hearings before moving the bill. The committee adjourned at 16:39 with the next meeting scheduled for Feb. 17.
