MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – The Montgomery lawmaker aiming to ban devices that convert handguns into machine guns says his bill will be on the House floor on Tuesday.

Rep. Phillip Ensler says he has seen the violent crime headlines and wants to do something about it.

“It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “I know that people are understandably concerned. And for those that have been either victims of gun violence or their families or friends, I know it’s really traumatic, and my heart goes out to them. As a lawmaker though, I’m here to do exactly that, as the title says, enact laws.”

It has been the Democrat’s effort to ban devices commonly known as trigger activators or glock switches.

Ensler’s bill saw bipartisan support in committee, but the true test will lie on the House floor.

“Here’s an opportunity to back the blue. Here’s an opportunity to do the right thing,” Ensler said. “So I certainly hope that tomorrow, that it gets overwhelming Democratic and Republican support.”

The bill has become stricter. A recent amendment made initial possession a Class C felony instead of a misdemeanor.

“That is what federal law is,” the lawmaker said. “So we want to make sure in Alabama that we are consistent with what the federal government, what federal law is, so that’s why we’re doing it that way.”

Because this is already federal law, the public may wonder why lawmakers are looking at creating a state law to begin with. Supporters say the federal indictment process can take months and that a state law could allow law enforcement to work more quickly.

There is also a companion bill in the Senate that bans glock switches.

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Alabama’s 2024-25 roster will have another major starter back. Grant Nelson announced on his Instagram Monday afternoon that he plans to use his fifth and final year of eligibility in Tuscaloosa.

It’s the second year in a row Nelson contemplated a future in the NBA Draft but ultimately didn’t keep his name in the pool of eligible players; he rescinded his name last spring before transferring to Nate Oats and the Tide; The deadline for this year’s draft passed on April 28.

A 6-foot-11 forward, Nelson posted 11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.6 blocks per game — he led Alabama in rebounds and blocks. He battled a leg injury in December and struggled through foul trouble consistently. But the lottery-pick potential that coaches saw in Nelso manifested sporadically like a 20-point outing at Georiga or 22 points, eight rebounds and six blocks against Florida.

Most notably, Nelson turned around an NCAA Tournament slump with a historic showing against North Carolina in the Sweet 16. He scored 24 points, including eight in a row late to upset the Tar Heels and propelled the Tide to its first Final Four in school history. Nelson, who was named to the All-Region team, followed up with 19 against eventual champion UConn.

Alabama now has two pieces of its healthy, late-season starting lineup back: Nelson and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. Aaron Estrada graduated and Rylan Griffen transferred to Kansas, leaving UA to wait for Mark Sears’ decision. UA’s frontcourt depth has taken a hit since the season ended with backup Nick Pringle transferring back home to South Carolina and Mohamed Wague departing after one season.

Oats added three pieces via the transfer portal, all guards, and doesn’t appear to be done looking for more talent. The Tide hosted Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi on Monday. Incoming four-star freshman Aiden Sherrell is also listed at 6-foot-10.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at NAlvarez@al.com.

Happy Monday, everyone. Baseball took two of three from Ole Miss over the weekend while softball dropped two of three to Tennessee. And, Nate Oats added another key transfer.

Should Mark Sears and Grant Nelson come back and not go pro — an expectation but not a certainty considering how last year went with Charles Bediako and Jahvon Quinerly — Oats and co. will have one of the deepest rosters in the country.

Philon was an offensive force in Alabama. Coaches couldn’t scheme ways to stop him during his junior season (35 points per game). MaxPreps and Gatorade both named Philon the state’s player of the year. He can attack the paint and shoot the 3-pointer, making it hard not to imagine him developing with Holloway in Oats’ system. The Tide could return a starting backcourt with Sears and Latrell Wrightsell, offering both underclassmen cover.

With Sears and Nelson’s spots held for them, Oats still has one open roster spot that will ostensibly go to a big man. Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi was in town over the weekend, but is still taking visits.

Alabama track and field closed the regular season in fine fashion.

Alabama track and field concluded the outdoor regular season at the Desert Heat Classic with four first-place finishes from Corde Long (men’s 400-meter hurdles), Allan Kiplagat (men’s steeplechase), Caelyn Harris (women’s long jump) and Brenda Tuwei (women’s 3,000-meter).

Long highlighted the Crimson Tide’s regular season finale, grabbing a first-place finish in the men’s 400-meter hurdles with the fourth-fastest time in the NCAA this season at 49.26. Shortly thereafter, Kiplagat also returned a first-place finish in the men’s steeplechase with a personal-best 9:21.78.

SEC Championships are this weekend in Gainesville. The men finish the regular season ranked 2nd in the nation behind Texas A&M, while the womens’ team is 15th.

Alabama finished with ten players taken in the NFL Draft. Almost as encouraging: Kalen DeBoer’s former team matched that. From Katie Windham:

If opposing fanbases around the country and SEC were hoping for a dropoff in talent and production going from Saban to Kalen DeBoer, this weekend’s NFL draft proved they could be in for a rude awakening. Saban and DeBoer tied with 10 total selections, trailing only Michigan (13) and Texas (11) for number of players taken in this year’s draft.

DeBoer’s former Huskies also matched Alabama’s first-round total with three apiece (Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze and Troy Fautanu), which tied a program record at Washington. It was the first time multiple Huskies were selected in the first round since 2015.

Katie also notes that 27 of the 32 NFL franchises used a first round pick on an Alabama player in Saban’s 17 years. Out of all the other incredible stats, that one may be the most impressive.

It was clear that Saban loved his last team, even if he wondered if they were talented enough to win a national title. They damn near did, but this weekend we got a peek into why he felt the way he did about them.

“We had a couple of Alabama players come through on 30 visits,” Sabo said, “and so every time one came through, I’d make sure I’d peel off and say, ‘Hey, man, what do you think about Will?’ And at first they get kind of shocked, like ‘What’re you talking about?’ And then like, ‘Oh, my God. He’s like’ – I felt he was part of that team. He’s not an isolated player, where in some programs they’re isolated and maybe distant and maybe not necessarily connected to the team. And I never got that from the sources that I talked with at Alabama, the sources our other scouts talked to at Alabama and then (special-teams coordinator Matt) Daniels interviewing him through his processes as well.”

There’s something poetic about the Saban era ending with one of his kickers getting drafted, isn’t there?

Reichard gave Saban a record that will likely never be matched: during his Alabama tenure, someone was drafted at every position on the field, including long snapper, kicker and punter. If that wasn’t enough, Jaylen Key became Saban’s first Mr. Irrelevant.

“It means everything; that’s part of the title,” Key said on a video conference with New York-area reporters. “You just have to take it and lean into it. For me, I’m definitely going to lean into every bit of it. I’m Mr. Irrelevant this year, and we’re going to make something shake, for sure.”

The Jets selected Key with the final pick in the seventh round, No. 257 overall — the franchise’s first Mr. Irrelevant choice since 1969. That year, they picked last after winning Super Bowl III. This time, it was a compensatory selection.

The Mr. Irrelevant title has grown in stature in recent years, thanks, in large part, to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who helped his team to the Super Bowl last season after being the final player drafted in 2022.

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“We’ve got some shoes to fill behind Brock, but I can tell you this: We’re going to make something shake,” he said with a smile.

Last, Kalen and Nate got to experience the FloraBama mullet toss.

You have to wonder what Kalen thought of that, eh? Looks like they had some fun.

That’s about it for today. Have a great week.

Roll Tide.