The Birmingham mayor, who lost a brother and nephew in shootings, has expressed frustration over gun violence in his city. Police say the devices produce a rapid, hard-to-control spray of bullets that increase the number of casualties during a shooting.

The Alabama House committee approved a bill, Wednesday, to make the possession of Glock switch guns a Class C Felony.

The law, which goes into effect immediately, targets devices that turn semiautomatic handguns into makeshift machine guns.