Police and judges in New Mexico backed a plan to make it illegal to have devices that turn pistols into machine guns. It was important to the governor of Alabama.
Two states, one run by Democrats and the other by Republicans, passed new laws this year that make so-called Glock switches illegal.
At least half of the states in the U.S. now have rules that make it illegal to own these kinds of devices. This number has grown over the last ten years as police have found more of these small but powerful devices attached to guns.
Federal law has usually banned machine guns and any parts that can turn semiautomatic weapons into automatic ones for decades. Now, states are following suit.
In what ways does federal law say?
According to U.S. law, a machine gun is a gun that can fire more than one shot with just one pull of the trigger. Any parts that are meant to turn a gun into a machine gun are also included in this description.
Machine guns made after 1986 are illegal to own under federal law, but police, the military, and some approved dealers are exempt. Because they were made more lately, almost all conversion devices are against the law.
People who are found with machine guns or conversion devices can go to jail for up to 10 years.
What does a Glock switch do?
One kind of gadget that can turn a gun into a machine gun is a Glock switch. It’s a coin-sized piece of metal or plastic that fits on the back of a Glock pistol. Both cops and criminals like this brand of gun. Because the switch affects the gun’s internal trigger parts, when the trigger is pulled back and held, the gun keeps firing.
A gun with a switch can fire dozens of bullets very quickly, like a machine gun made in a workshop.
You can also turn other types of pistols that look like Glocks into machine guns. A few semiautomatic guns can too. These kinds of converters are also known as auto sears, selector switches, or chips.
What does the data show?
Since 2010, the use of auto knives has grown a lot. One reason for this is that 3D printers make them cheaply.
From 2012 to 2016, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives only seized 814 parts for turning machine guns into more powerful weapons. From 2017 to 2021, that number grew to 5,454.
In January, the government of former President Joe Biden said that 12,360 suspected machine gun conversion devices had been found in the U.S. and turned over to the ATF over the course of 34 months, ending in October 2024.
Almost half of that amount came from five states: Florida, Illinois, Texas, Montana, and North Dakota.
How have the states been?
Another state to ban Glock changes is Alabama. This month, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a law that makes it a felony to have parts that can turn pistols into machine guns. If you are caught, you could spend up to 10 years in jail.
Police in Alabama said they thought conversion devices were used in deadly shootings, including one in September outside of a Birmingham lounge that killed four and hurt seventeen. This led to a push from both parties in the state.
In February, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico signed a law that makes having a weapon conversion device a felony that can get you up to three years in jail.
The New Jersey General Assembly passed a bill like this last week, and it is now on its way to the Senate. Other states also have bills that need to be passed.
In 2017, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a law that made car sears illegal. But this past week, Youngkin vetoed a bill that would have added more devices that speed up the firing of semiautomatic guns to the list of things that are already illegal.
What do people who want to ban guns want?
Some groups, like Everytown for Gun Safety, say that state rules make it easier to get Glock switches than to go to federal court and be charged. They want to go even further, though.
In California, Maryland, and New York, it would be illegal to sell pistols that could be turned into machine guns. This is something that Everytown for Gun Safety supports.
One of the people who works for Everytown for Gun Safety, Nick Suplina, said, “That really puts the pressure where it belongs—on the companies that make guns that they know can be easily turned into machine guns.”
Baltimore, Chicago, Minnesota, and New Jersey are among the towns and states that have sued Glock for making pistols that can be turned into automatic weapons by other people.
What do groups that support gun freedom say?
To the National Rifle Association’s point of view, U.S. attorneys can already bring charges against people who misuse gun conversion devices, along with state rules.
Another gun rights group, Gun Owners of America, says that people should have the right under the Second Amendment to own machine guns. Attorney Aidan Johnston of Gun Owners of America said that state rules against machine gun conversation devices are “duplicative” and “pure virtue signaling.”
He said that guns that can fire automatically can be useful for things like getting rid of big groups of wild pigs that are damaging land.
Johnston said, “Putting that on your gun doesn’t mean you are a violent criminal or that you are really a dangerous person.”
