(WDNews) – Governor Kay Ivey has signed Senate Bill 119 into law, a sweeping public safety measure aimed at cracking down on gun violence in Alabama’s urban communities. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot and Rep. Cynthia Almond, introduces tougher firearm possession laws, stricter penalties, and expands key legal tools like Aniah’s Law.
“I am also proud to announce to you first that this morning, I signed into law another one of our Safe Alabama public safety bills – Senate Bill 119 – which will help get more bad guys off our streets to ensure safety in our communities,” said Governor Ivey during a speech at the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber. “We have a few more working their way through the process, and I am confident those will be heading my way soon.”
The new law includes:
A Class C felony for anyone possessing a firearm within five years of a felony conviction, or after three felony convictions at any time.
A Class C felony for possessing a firearm while out on bail for certain violent offenses.
An upgraded Class A felony for shooting into an occupied dwelling.
Mandatory revocation of probation or parole for those convicted of illegal firearm possession.
An expansion of Aniah’s Law to cover shooting into occupied dwellings and murder-related charges, including attempts, solicitation, and conspiracy.
Most provisions will go into effect October 1, 2025. The Aniah’s Law amendment will take effect upon voter ratification of the constitutional amendment proposed by Senate Bill 118.
While in Huntsville, Governor Ivey also signed the state’s General Fund and Education Trust Fund budgets, along with the RAISE Act.
“These historic investments in core functions of government and our students’ education are possible through our track-record of conservative budgeting and strong leadership…” Ivey said.
On education, she added, “The budgets we made official this morning will continue investing in proven programs like the Literacy and Numeracy Acts. It will support our Turnaround Schools initiative to target some of our lowest performing schools. It will continue allowing these successful education reform policies to take shape while taking an active approach to do everything we can to support students, teachers and parents. It is fully funding the CHOOSE Act – our education savings account program.”
