Glock switches turns handguns into machine weapons
Glock switches flip handguns into machine weapons, and Columbus police are seeing extra of them
Doral Chenoweth, The Columbus Dispatch
“Glock switches,” small gadgets able to turning virtually any handgun right into a machine gun, are more and more being discovered amongst seized firearms within the Phoenix space, in response to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
“Our proactive instances, whether or not undercover, historic, or different kinds of investigations, are more and more uncovering these machine gun conversion gadgets,” mentioned Particular Agent in Cost Brendan Iber.
Iber defined that these switches, roughly the scale of 1 / 4 and made out of metallic or plastic, have turn out to be simpler to accumulate because of the rise of 3-D printing and widespread on-line ordering.
“Particularly within the final 5 years, these gadgets have turn out to be readily and simply out there,” Iber mentioned. “Relying in your 3D printer’s velocity, it takes a mean of 40 minutes to print certainly one of these machine gun conversion gadgets.”
Iber famous that these gadgets have turn out to be extra widespread amongst juveniles in recent times.
“It’s regarding as a result of we’re seeing youthful and youthful juveniles concerned in violent crimes,” Iber mentioned.
Along with collaborating with native police departments to hint the sources of Glock switches, the bureau is partnering with libraries and faculties to boost consciousness concerning the potential misuse of 3D printers to supply these gadgets.
Beneath Arizona legislation, the gadgets are unlawful when connected to a firearm, whereas federal legislation criminalizes possession of the machine even when unattached, with penalties of as much as 10 years in jail.
