The $50 Device That Turns Handguns Into Automatic Weapons

[wew3]

From the WSJ.

The $50 Device That Turns Handguns Into Automatic Weapons
Illegal Glock switches made on 3-D printers let pistols fire like machine guns, fueling killings in cities like Washington, D.C.

By Zusha Elinson and Scott Calvert
Feb. 17, 2024 8:00 am ET

Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Malone’s life ended moments after he pulled over a car without license plates by a Dollar General store in rural Mississippi last month.

The driver pulled out a pistol illegally modified with a small device known as a Glock switch, which made it capable of fully automatic gunfire, according to police.

Malone, a 44-year-old father of three, was killed instantly in a barrage of bullets.

Nearly a century after a federal crackdown on machine guns largely ended the use of automatic weapons by criminals, they are back on the rise thanks to Glock switches, an illegal modification that lets Glock-brand pistols fire continuously with one trigger pull.

Glock switches are about the size of a thumbnail, easy to install, and typically sell for between $50 and $100. Authorities have struggled to regulate them as they have exploded in popularity recently because they can be manufactured cheaply and quickly on 3-D printers. Previously, most Glock switches were imported to the U.S. from other countries.

“They’re easily made, they are non-traceable and the profit margin is so high,” said Jeff Boshek, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Dallas field division.

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Seven states—including Mississippi, Alabama and Pennsylvania—are considering banning Glock switches and other similar devices, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a gun-control group. Another 21 states have such bans in place.

Complete story at https://www.wsj.com/us-news/illegal-...hare_permalink