A Milwaukee man, 22-year-old Demario M. Robinson, has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for the smuggling of machine gun conversion devices, according to WISN. The devices, known as "switches," can transform semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons and have become a growing concern for law enforcement in the area.
Robinson’s activities came to light between July 2022 and June 2023 when he imported over 200 conversion devices from China, detailed in court proceedings as intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as stated in reports by WTMJ, who identified the Milwaukee man's intended receipt of 47 MCDs and a firearm equipped with an MCD was discovered at his residence on June 20, 2023, exacerbating the severity of his crimes due to his status as a convicted felon, barred from firearm possessions.
The sentencing follows a concerted crackdown by the FBI and Milwaukee police on illegal gun modifications within the city, where "We know we have hundreds of these switches in our city, which makes it difficult for us to get ahead of this. But with the intelligence and working with resources and collaboration with community groups and federal investigators, we will make an impact," Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman told WTMJ. Multiple arrests throughout southern Wisconsin on similar charges have occurred over the course of the year.
As these machine gun conversion devices become more prevalent, the FBI emphasizes the stakes of this issue, "Possession of a machinegun conversion device is a federal crime regardless of if the user has a firearm license," FBI Special Agent Michael Hensle explained in a statement obtained by WTMJ, a point underscored by the evident rise in automatic weapon detections and recoveries in Wisconsin and the large quantities of such devices believed still to be circulating in the region.
It stands as a cautionary tale for those engaged in similar illicit arms augmentations, as asserted by officials and reflected in the hardline sentencing outcomes, which can result in up to 10 years in federal prison and fines reaching $250,000 according to FOX6Now.
