An Alabama committee Wednesday approved a bill prohibiting those in the country illegally from possessing firearms.

The House Judiciary Committee approved HB 64, sponsored by Rep. Ronald Bolton, R-Northport, on a voice vote. It goes to the Alabama House.

“This is already a felony offense under the federal jurisdiction, and what this does is it brings the same standard under the state jurisdiction to allow it to be handled in state court,” Bolton said.

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The bill aligns state law with federal law and bans undocumented immigrants from possessing firearms. It makes possession of firearms by undocumented immigrants a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Federal law has banned non-citizens without legal status from owning guns since 1968, under the Federal Gun Control Act.

Currently, law enforcement coordinates with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to deal with such cases. If the bill passes, it would allow local and state law enforcement agencies to handle the cases themselves and prosecute the person in state court using Alabama statute.

Some on the committee questioned whether the bill is necessary.

“I do want to point out though, ‘do you know what would make this a lot easier to do?’” asked Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa. “Requiring permits. You wouldn’t even have to ask these questions. If you are here illegally, you couldn’t even get a permit, so it would cut down on time. It would cut down on safety issues, conversations. You could just say, ‘give me the pistol,’ and put him into custody.”

The Legislature last year approved a bill ending permit requirements for carrying concealed weapons. England is sponsoring a firearm permit bill.

According to the 2020 Census, about 3.5% of Alabama’s population is foreign born. The national rate is 13.6%.