Federal authorities say a small, inexpensive device called a “Glock switch” or a “machine gun conversion device” allows criminals to turn a handgun into a machine gun that can fire 30 or more rounds in seconds.
Officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have sounded the alarm about the devices, which can be made with 3-D printers and can cost as little as 40 cents.
These guns have been involved in several high-profile cases, including one in Alabama where investigators found a Glock switch at the scene of a Sweet 16 party shooting that left four people dead. Department of Justice and ATF officials have met recently with gun manufacturers, academics and law enforcement agencies to try to combat the production of these tampering devices.
ATF officials took Fox News to the National Service Center in West Virginia to demonstrate to reporters how these machine guns are illegally manufactured and the devastating damage they can cause.
A modified handgun is fired with a Glock switch and a large magazine. The Glock switch allows the shooter to fire more than 30 rounds in a matter of seconds.
Glock switches are becoming more and more common at crime scenes, as they allow a gun owner to convert five bullets into 50 with just a click. ATF officials told Fox News that these conversion devices account for the majority of illegal weapons seized in trafficking cases.
The ATF report found that in the 10 years leading up to 2021, the number of conversion devices recovered by local law enforcement agencies increased by 570%.
We will create a machine gun conversion device using a 3D printer.
Justice Department officials, including ATF officials, say they will now be more vigorously searching for modified machine gun devices and training local police how to identify them.
“In many cases, law enforcement agencies don't even know what to look for when searching for machine gun conversion devices because they don't resemble a Tommy Gun,” said ATF Director Steve Dettlbach.
ATF Director Steve Dettlbach holds up a machine gun conversion device.
The ATF is aware of several cases in the past few years alone where these conversion devices have been used to commit murder. In April 2023, authorities say a conversion device was used in a 16th birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama, where four people were killed and 32 were injured. The Department of Justice says if you've ever used a conversion device or are thinking about making one, you should absolutely not do so.
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“The use of MCD is illegal. The sale of MCD is illegal and possession of MCD is illegal,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said.
The devices are prohibited by federal law and violations are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Fox News' Max Bacall contributed to this report.
