HB274 Summary

• Amends Alabama Code sections 13A-8-16 through 13A-8-19 to establish specific criminal penalties for receiving, retaining, or disposing of stolen firearms based on value thresholds.

• Creates receiving a stolen firearm not exceeding $500 in value as a Class D felony under receiving stolen property in the third degree (§13A-8-18.1).

• Establishes that receiving a stolen firearm not exceeding $500 in value becomes a Class C felony under receiving stolen property in the second degree when the person has a prior conviction for receiving a stolen firearm (§13A-8-18).

• Provides technical revisions to receiving stolen property statutes, including clarifying language regarding circumstances constituting prima facie evidence of knowledge that property was stolen.

• Becomes effective immediately upon passage and gubernatorial approval; excluded from Amendment 621 local funding requirements because it defines a new crime or amends the definition of an existing crime.