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.

...

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

[RockIsland]

21 states banned something that's already illegal?

That should fix the problem.

Letting the perps out without bail will help too.

[85MikeTPI]

They should just ban Glocks.

[ray h]

21 states banned something that's already illegal?

That should fix the problem.

Letting the perps out without bail will help too.

Well there are only a few ways to create more criminals, you can import them, you can make more laws, and you can let criminals out of jail to become more successful criminals.

[Chazman321]

They should just ban Glocks.

That's probably what they'd like to do, but cops won't support it. Glock could probably change their design and make them not work anymore.


-Chaz

[R L Suehr]

That's probably what they'd like to do, but cops won't support it. Glock could probably change their design and make them not work anymore.


-Chaz

Glock change design?????

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha aaah.....hahaha hahaha hahaha. Ha.

[85MikeTPI]

That's probably what they'd like to do, but cops won't support it. Glock could probably change their design and make them not work anymore.

Oh there*ll be an LEO carve out in the ban*.. always is.

[esh21167]

Well there are only a few ways to create more criminals, you can import them, you can make more laws, and you can let criminals out of jail to become more successful criminals.

And all three are current tools of the Demoncrat liberals.

[Bang]

Glock would secure more LE sales if it would provide magazine disconnect. Some departments acknowledge the advantage an officer has when in a situation where there is a struggle for control of his pistol and the mag can be dropped preventing getting shot.

[arjohnson]

Gonna ban something that*s already banned, should solve the problem.