In the wake of a series of violent shootings in Memphis that have left the city on edge, officials are pushing for tougher legislation concerning illegal firearm modifications. Memphis Mayor Paul Young, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, and Interim Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis are at the frontline of a campaign to increase penalties for possession and use of Glock switches - devices that turn semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons.
These leaders argue the current Class E felony charge for such an offense, which carries a sentence of one to six years, fails to meet the severity of the crime, as they told Action News 5. With criminals seemingly undeterred by the existing penalties, DA Mulroy is advocating for reclassification to a Class C felony, which could slap offenders with a minimum of three to 10 years behind bars.
Officials are not standing idly by as gunfire continues to disrupt the peace in Memphis communities. "This is the exceptional or unusual case where I actually believe that the punishment, the sentence, doesn't really fit the crime or doesn't fit the danger to public safety presented by these weapons. We essentially have right now a proliferation of machine guns in Memphis and Shelby County and it makes every police-citizen encounter even more fraught than it used to be," Mulroy said in a FOX13 interview.
According to Local Memphis, there is a concern for public safety and officer preparedness, with Davis noting that Memphis Police are increasingly finding themselves outgunned by criminals sporting sophisticated armory.
The recent spate of shootings, including one that tragically took the life of 26-year-old Memphis Police Officer Joseph McKinney and left two teenagers dead, has only intensified calls for legislative action. Notably, a Glock switch was involved in an unauthorized block party shootout which resulted in two fatalities and multiple injuries, as Action News 5 reported.
With the local crime commission reporting a decrease in major violent crimes in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2023, there's a sense that sterner measures could further deter criminal activities. Mayor Young has stressed the importance of this legislation as a means to convey a zero-tolerance message to those wreaking havoc in Memphis streets. The mayor's determination, to seek alignment between state and local law, also comes hand in hand with plans to enrich the Memphis cultural scene, though the creation of an Arts and Cultures Office is still pending.
Citizens, like Keith Leachman, a resident of Orange Mound who founder of the Stop the Killing Cut the Beef Community Development, share the sentiment that something must be done to quell the gun violence that disrupts their daily lives, as stated in an interview with Local Memphis. Fearing even for their safety at the funerals of the victims, the community's plea for change before further escalation seems a clarion call to local officials. As lawmakers gear up to draft relevant legislation, the outcome remains to be seen, but the consensus is clear – stricter penalties on Glock switches could be a significant step toward safer streets in Memphis.
