The Alabama House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would impose a criminal penalty on a parent whose child brings a gun to school if the firearm was not secured at home.

HB414 by Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, says 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.”

The bill says “reasonably secure” includes, but is not limited to, storing a firearm with a trigger lock, or putting it in a locked box or gun safe that requires a key, combination, or fingerprint to open.

A parent who failed to do so could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor if their child gains access to a gun and carries it to school.

Drummond said if a child took a gun to school that was secured with a trigger lock the parent would not be charged under the law.

“This bill does not take away anybody’s Second Amendment rights,” Drummond said. “It actually will safeguard the welfare of that child and the welfare of those other innocent children and educators who are on campus.”

Drummond sponsored a similar bill last year, but it did not pass. She said an incident at LeFlore High School in January reinforced the message that the bill is needed. According to police, a 16-year-old girl fired a handgun and caused injuries to two other students.

“Thankfully neither one of those children died or anything, but they were injured,” Drummond said. “And those are the type of things this bill will address.

“We’re just simply saying to parents, to guardians, to those loved ones, we need to be responsible with our gun ownership if we know that there are children that will have access to those weapons.”

The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill on a voice vote with some opposition. Committee approval puts the bill in position for consideration by the full House as early as next week.