Concerns about the rise of Glock switches, which can convert semi-automatic handguns into illegal fully automatic weapons, are intensifying in Detroit and the rest of the nation.
The devices, small enough to resemble a Lego piece, have been linked to a surge in gun violence, including a mass shooting in Detroit earlier this month. Federal authorities, including U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison, are cracking down on the spread of these dangerous modifications. Ison, in a statement reported by CBS Detroit, emphasized, "This is the ultimate violence because there’s no justification for converting a semiautomatic weapon to a machine gun in our communities."
Locally, pastors like Spencer Ellis of Citadel of Praise have witnessed first-hand the impact of such gun violence. According to a CBS Detroit interview, Ellis remarked, "The question that someone would really need to explain to me is why would a common John Doe need that kind of assault weapon." In response to the illegal distribution and modification of firearms, Ison declared, "We won’t tolerate that now or ever."
Across the state, the ATF has reported a staggering 600% increase in these conversion devices, according to FOX 2 Detroit. Primarily obtained from overseas sources or crafted through 3D printing, such devices are being glorified on social media platforms. "When you look at these. These things are being glorified on Instagram. They’re being glorified on Facebook. They’re being glorified by gang members and by juveniles primarily," ATF Special Agent in Charge Jim Deir said.
The Detroit Free Press added further context, reporting on Detroit's latest mass shooting, where a handgun equipped with a Glock switch was used. The incident left two young people dead and 19 others injured. Special Agent Kenton Westin of the ATF and Ison held a news conference to address the gravity of the situation and the threat Glock switches pose to public safety. "We are one tragedy away from this being a huge problem in the United States. One tragedy away," Deir stated, as described by Detroit Free Press.
Echoing federal sentiments, local enforcement is striving to curb the spread of these illegal devices, working alongside U.S. Postal Inspectors and Homeland Security. With recent sentences of up to 94 months for possession of Glock switches.
