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HB420 • 2026

Crimes and offenses; discharging a firearm into an occupied school bus or building, penalty increased

Crimes and offenses; discharging a firearm into an occupied school bus or building, penalty increased

Crime Education Firearms
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Butler (M)
Last action
2026-04-17
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official bill text contains a formatting error where subsection (f) regarding age was renumbered to (g), but then immediately followed by another (f). The content clearly indicates the removal of the under-19 exemption, despite the numbering confusion in the enrolled document.

HB420: Stricter Penalties for Shooting at School Buses and Buildings

This law increases the punishment for shooting a gun into an occupied school bus or building to a Class A felony and removes the rule that people under 19 cannot be charged with this crime.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the penalty for discharging a firearm into an occupied school bus or building from a Class B felony to a Class A felony.
  • Removes the previous limit stating that individuals under 19 years of age could not violate this specific law.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who shoot firearms into occupied school buses or school buildings.
  • Individuals under the age of 19 who commit this act.

Terms To Know

Class A felony
A serious crime that carries a heavier punishment than lower-level felonies like Class B or C.
Discharging a firearm
Shooting or firing a gun.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not change penalties for shooting at unoccupied school buses or buildings, which remain Class C felonies.
  • People are still exempt from this law if they use justified force, participate in approved events, perform with certain groups, or are on land leased from a school system.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

U9V9KGG-1

R 752

Adopted

Plain English: This amendment increases the penalty for shooting a gun into an occupied school bus or building from a Class B felony to a more serious Class A felony.

  • Shooting a firearm into an occupied school bus or school building is now punished as a Class A felony instead of a Class B felony.
  • The law keeps the penalty for shooting at unoccupied buses or buildings as a Class C felony.
  • People under 19 years old are exempt from breaking this specific rule.
  • This explanation is based only on the provided text and does not explain what other laws might apply if someone breaks more than one rule at the same time.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-17 House

    Enacted

  2. 2026-04-09 House

    Delivered to Governor

  3. 2026-04-09 Senate

    Signature Requested

  4. 2026-04-09 House

    Enrolled

  5. 2026-04-09 House

    Ready to Enroll

  6. 2026-04-08 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1274 (Yeas 30, Nays 0)

  7. 2026-03-19 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  8. 2026-03-18 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  9. 2026-03-05 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 753 (Yeas 98, Nays 0)

  10. 2026-03-05 House

    Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 752 (Yeas 100, Nays 0)

  11. 2026-03-05 House

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 99, Nays 0)

  12. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  13. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary

  14. 2026-03-05 House

    Engrossed

  15. 2026-03-05 House

    Judiciary Engrossed Substitute Offered

  16. 2026-02-19 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  17. 2026-02-18 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  18. 2026-02-10 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  19. 2026-02-10 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary

Official Summary Text

This act amends Section 13A-11-61.1, Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) increase the penalty for discharging a firearm into an occupied school bus or school building from a Class B felony to a Class A felony; and (2) remove the limitation that an individual under 19 years of age may not be in violation of this crime.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB420 ENROLLED
Page 0
HB420
U9V9KGG-3
By Representatives Butler, Robertson, Bedsole
RFD: Judiciary
First Read: 10-Feb-26
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HB420 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 10-Feb-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to crimes and offenses; to amend Section
13A-11-61.1, Code of Alabama 1975, to revise the penalties for
discharging a firearm into an occupied school bus or school
building.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 13A-11-61.1, Code of Alabama 1975,
is amended to read as follows:
"§13A-11-61.1
(a) No person shall shoot or discharge a firearm into
an occupied or unoccupied school bus or school building.
(1) A person who shoots or discharges a firearm into an
occupied school bus or school building shall be guilty of a
Class B Class A felony.
(2) A person who shoots or discharges a firearm into an
unoccupied school bus or school building shall be guilty of a
Class C felony.
(b) No person shall shoot or discharge a firearm on
school property.
(1) A person who shoots or discharges a firearm on
school property during school hours or during school
activities after school hours , shall be guilty of a Class B
felony.
(2) In circumstances other than those provided in
subdivision (1), a person who shoots or discharges a firearm
on school property shall be guilty of a Class C felony.
(c) A person shall not be in violation of this section
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HB420 Enrolled
Page 2
(c) A person shall not be in violation of this section
if the person is justified in using physical force pursuant to
Section 13A-3-23.
(d) A person shall not be in violation of this section
if he or she is engaging in an organized competition or school
system sanctioned system-sanctioned event involving the use of
a firearm or participating in or practicing for a performance
by an organized group under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) which uses
firearms as part of the performance or is on land leased from
a school system.
(e) For the purposes of this section, "school property"
does not include sixteenth section land or school lands,
pursuant to Section 16-20-1, held in trust for the benefit of
a school district, that do not have any school buildings , and
that is are not actively used for the purpose of providing
educational or recreational activities to students.
(f) A person shall not be in violation of this section
if he or she is under 19 years of age.
(g)(f) This section shall not be construed to repeal
other criminal laws. Whenever conduct prescribed by any
provision of this section is also prescribed by any other
provision of law, the provision which carries the more serious
penalty shall be applied."
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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HB420 Enrolled
Page 3
1, 2026.
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
House of Representatives
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and
was passed by the House 05-Mar-26.
John Treadwell
Clerk
Senate 08-Apr-26 Passed
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