By SUZANNE DOWNING
An Anchorage Democrat has introduced a bill that would make it a felony under Alaska law to possess or sell small devices that can turn a regular handgun into a fully automatic weapon.
Sen. Löki Tobin pre-filed Senate Bill 203 on Jan. 9, as lawmakers prepare for the 2026 legislative session.
The bill changes the definition of what Alaska considers a “prohibited weapon.”
The new language targets a specific type of gun modification: small parts that can be added to a handgun to make it fire continuously, like a machine gun, with a single pull of the trigger.
Most modern handguns are already semi-automatic, meaning one bullet is fired each time the trigger is pulled and then quickly reloads a bullet into the chamber. A conversion device overrides that mechanism and allows the gun to keep firing as long as the trigger is held down. Some of the most common versions are known as “auto-sears” or “Glock switches.” They are usually no bigger than a coin and can be made from metal or even 3-D-printed plastic.
When installed, a standard pistol can fire dozens of rounds in seconds.
Under current federal law, machine guns are already illegal unless they are properly registered under federal law, but Alaska statute does not clearly spell out that these conversion devices themselves are prohibited. Tobin’s bill would close that gap by adding them to the list of illegal weapons. Federal law says it’s legal to own, possess, and use a machine gun for lawful purposes if it is properly registered under federal National Firearms Act rules, relating specifically to transferable pre-1986 machine guns (those manufactured and registered before May 19, 1986, per the 1986 federal ban on new civilian machine guns).
The Tobin bill amends Alaska Statute 11.61.200, which covers “misconduct involving weapons in the first degree.” That crime is a class A felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine for a first offense. By putting conversion devices into that category, SB 203 would make possession, sale, or manufacture of those parts a serious state-level crime.
The proposal would only apply going forward. Anyone who possessed such a device before the law takes effect could not be charged retroactively.
At the federal level, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives already treats these conversion devices as machine guns under the National Firearms Act. In theory, possession of an unregistered auto-sear is already illegal.
States around the country have increasingly passed their own laws banning the devices so that local police and prosecutors can bring charges without waiting for federal authorities to do so.
In Alaska, where gun ownership is common and most firearm restrictions are limited to what federal law requires, the bill is likely to spark debate as an incremental encroachment on Second Amendment rights.
Second Amendment advocates will argue that the federal government already regulates machine guns and that adding state penalties is unnecessary. Others may point out that the bill does not ban handguns or legal firearm ownership, but only a specific modification that turns them into automatic weapons.
As of now, SB 203 is still in the pre-file stage and has not yet been assigned to a committee.
9 thoughts on “Alaska Senate bill would make handgun machine-gun conversion devices a felony”
Loki is a prominent trickster god in Norse mythology known for his shape shifting abilities and his complex role as both an ally and adversary to other gods. Loki’s actions, which range from light hearted pranks to devastating betrayals . . .
A literal reading of the bill, if enacted and signed into law, would make many commonly owned firearms illegal and possession a felony. Anyone can hold the trigger back on many revolvers and fire the gun by fanning the hammer, and therefore the bill makes owning such a revolver a felony. Also, many pump rifles and shotguns can be fired until empty by holding back the trigger and working the pump. I can imagine a prosecutor going into negotiations with a defendant’s attorney piling on possession of an 1873 Colt Single Action Army and/or a Model 1912 Winchester pump shotgun for bargaining. The Colt SAA is still manufactured and legally sold as are countless copies. Model 12 manufacture ended in 1972 though some production from existing parts continued for a while.
I’ve heard the bill’s author speak about guns. Her views on 2A and personal responsibility would be mainstream in Boston, and she shares them with the new NYC Mayor. This bill will combine with the two gun control bills from the 2025 session to draw financial support into Alaska from Everytown, Giffords, Moms Against and the like. For most Alaskans the bills are a waste of time and resources, but if you look at who is funding the Beacon, Daily News, Public Media, etc. we can expect the state House and Senate Majorities to act and speak as if these are real bills for which there is an authentic purpose and even a need.
TheAlaskaStory will very likely alert us when this bill has a hearing: In the meantime all real Alaskans must resolve to be politically active in this big election year. If we allow it we may see more Himmlerian people elected in Alaska.
And precisely what problem is this supposed to solve? Crime statistics on it would be helpful and likely don’t exist. Cheers –
Why is this needed? It looks to be another step toward banning guns altogether.
It isn’t needed, its just Loki saying” ban AlL the things!! “To signal to her totalitarian left base. To pony up more pelf for her campaign funds
Surely Senator Tobin must know that possession any machine gun part, if not registered under the NFA, is already a federal felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. You could literally not own the serialized receiver (the legal firearm) but if you have any component that would turn said firearm from semi-auto to full-auto, that part is considered the machine gun under federal law.
The main purpose of banning conversion devices can be readily ascertained by seeing what has been transpiring in states where this sort of garbage actually passes their anti-2A legislatures. Those states (ex: California) that have done so have reliably taken the next step by banning all of the firearms that readily accept these conversion devices. This is why Glock discontinued their Gen5 models at the end of 2025. It is a systematic attack on firearms manufacturers, and a money grab, as Loki is definitely playing tricks to try and score points with Moms Demand Action, Everytown, Giffords, etc. for the purpose of picking up campaign funds; that’s likely all this will amount to in our still-sane legislature when it comes to 2A issues. I doubt this will even get out of committee.
Prohibited weapons under Alaska law are the same items regulated by the National Firearms Act. Yet all of these items are legal to own in Alaska if federally registered. There is no statewide ban on silencers, short-barreled rifles/shotguns, machine guns or destructive devices. Due to the Hughes Amendment of the Firearms Owners Protection Act, machine guns have not been added to the NFA registry since May of 1986. Exceptions are available for law enforcement and FFLs with the right dealer classifications, but little elsewhere. The Alaska Machine Gun Association owns a variety of fully-automatic weapons that are legally transferable due to their date of manufacture. So while there is a de facto “ban” on making your own new machine gun and registering it under the NFA, this fact alone renders any state laws banning machine gun conversion devices utterly pointless. The criminals using these Glock switches aren’t exploiting some loophole; as soon as they purchased or made the component, they violated federal law. There is no reason to waste state resources to prosecute these individuals when our illustrious federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives stands ever-ready to ruin the lives of those individuals.
Loki is crazy as a loon and obviously illiterate as to law already in effect. The current federal laws regarding guns are completely unconstitutional and an infringement on bearing arms, in direct violation to our Second Amendment.
No. I will actively campaign against any legislator that votes for this or any other proposed gun control bill. It’s not the guns, it never has been, it is the inability of our government and judicial system to punish those that misuse firearms. A firearm is a tool like any other tool. If I bash someone’s head in with a hammer do you blame the hammer? Do you call for a ban on hammers? Do you make anyone that buys a hammer pass a background check? Do you serialize all hammers? No, what you do is throw my ass in jail for 20 to life. Start doing that. Stop plea bargaining felonies down to misdemeanors, stop treating felons like children and start punishing them, harshly. Make mandatory sentencing, don’t allow judges to overturn jury decisions. It’s time to put criminals in check not law abiding citizens.