HB316 • 2026

Firearms; storage requirements provided; criminal penalty for violation resulting in possession by minor under certain circumstances, subject to exceptions

Children Crime Education Firearms Parental Rights

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Drummond
Last action: 2026-01-22
Official status: Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text states this bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, but the last action listed is 'Pending Committee Action' with an effective date of October 1, 2026. The status explanation notes that executive action may not be shown here.

HB316: Rules for Storing Firearms to Prevent Minors from Accessing Them at School

This bill creates a criminal penalty for parents or guardians if their minor child unlawfully possesses an unsecured firearm on public school property.

What This Bill Does

Requires parents and legal guardians to store firearms in a way that prevents minors from accessing them without permission.
Defines reasonable security as using trigger locks, locked boxes, gun safes with keys or codes, or fingerprint scanners.
Makes it a Class A misdemeanor for a parent or guardian if their child unlawfully possesses a firearm on public school grounds due to poor storage.

Who It Names or Affects

Parents and legal guardians who own or control firearms in Alabama.
Minors aged 18 years old or younger.
Public schools serving grades K-12 and their school buses.

Terms To Know

Reasonably Secure: Storing a gun using a trigger lock, locked box, safe with a key or code, or fingerprint scanner to stop unauthorized access. This list is not limited to these methods.
Minor: Any person who is 18 years of age or younger under this law.
Public School Premises: The grounds and buildings of a public school for grades K-12, including the school bus used for those grades.

Limits and Unknowns

This penalty does not apply if the minor is legally allowed to possess the firearm under specific state laws.
This law does not punish parents or guardians if a minor possesses a firearm inside a car parked in a public school parking lot.

Bill History

2026-01-22 House
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-01-22 House
Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Official Summary Text

Firearms; storage requirements provided; criminal penalty for violation resulting in possession by minor under certain circumstances, subject to exceptions

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB316 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB316
JPXB1YN-1
By Representatives Drummond, Warren, Clarke, Rafferty,
McCampbell, Travis, Gray, Hollis, Lawrence, Lands, Chestnut
RFD: Public Safety and Homeland Security
First Read: 22-Jan-26
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JPXB1YN-1 01/21/2026 ZAK (L)ma 2026-366
Page 1
First Read: 22-Jan-26
SYNOPSIS:
Under existing law, certain persons are
prohibited from possessing a firearm. Existing law also
prohibits possession of a firearm in certain places.
This bill would provide a criminal penalty
against a parent or legal guardian when his or her
minor child unlawfully possesses a firearm on the
premises of a public school as a result of the parent
or legal guardian's failure to reasonably secure the
firearm, subject to exceptions.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to firearms; to provide firearm storage
requirements; to provide a criminal penalty for a violation of
these requirements that results in a minor possessing the
firearm under certain circumstances; and to provide
exceptions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. (a) For purposes of this section, the
following terms have the following meanings:
(1) FIREARM. The term as defined in Section 13A-8-1,
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HB316 INTRODUCED
Page 2
(1) FIREARM. The term as defined in Section 13A-8-1,
Code of Alabama 1975.
(2) MINOR. An individual that is 18 years of age or
younger.
(3) PUBLIC SCHOOL. A public school composed of grades
K-12, including a public school bus used for grades K-12.
(4) REASONABLY SECURE. Includes, but is not limited to,
storing a firearm using a trigger lock or in a locked box or
gun safe that requires a key, numerical or alphanumerical
combination, or fingerprint to open.
(b) A parent or legal guardian of a minor shall store a
firearm in his or her possession or under his or her control
in a manner that reasonably secures the firearm from
unauthorized or unlawful access by a minor.
(c) If a minor gains access to a firearm and unlawfully
possesses the firearm on the premises of a public school as a
proximate result of a violation of subsection (b), the parent
or legal guardian is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(d) This section shall not apply to any of the
following:
(1) A minor in possession of a firearm pursuant to
Section 13A-11-72 (f) or (g), Code of Alabama 1975.
(2) A minor in possession of a firearm that is in a
motor vehicle while the vehicle is in a parking area owned or
operated by a public school.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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