Authorities say a Duluth man turned consumer 3D printers into a backyard machine-gun parts shop, and now he is sitting in jail on a stack of serious charges.
Jordan Bach Otis, 34, was arrested this month after investigators alleged he 3D-printed small machine-gun conversion devices that can turn a semiautomatic pistol into a fully automatic weapon. Search warrants executed at two Duluth homes turned up multiple 3D printers, firearm-manufacturing tools and privately made pistols with no serial numbers, according to court documents. Otis is now facing several felony counts tied to the conversion devices and remains in custody on high bail as the case moves through St. Louis County District Court.
As reported by the Duluth News Tribune, members of the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force executed the warrants on June 9 at a Morgan Park apartment and at a home in the Denfeld neighborhood, where Otis was arrested at his mother's residence. The criminal complaint says officers recovered four conversion devices, two privately manufactured firearms without serial numbers and "numerous" 3D printers and tools used for making firearms. Court records cited by the paper indicate Otis admitted making the conversion parts, acknowledged giving some away, and told officers he had used drugs during an earlier contact on April 28.
How the devices work
According to the ATF, the conversion accessories, often called "Glock switches" or "auto sears," are roughly the size of a quarter. They attach to the rear slide of a pistol and override its semiautomatic trigger system so that a single pull can unleash continuous fire. The agency has warned that these switches can be produced on consumer-grade 3D printers and that, under federal law, the devices themselves are classified as machine guns. That designation means possessing, making or transferring them can trigger hefty federal penalties.
State law and possible penalties
Minnesota law defines a "machine gun conversion kit" as any part or combination of parts intended to turn a weapon into a machine gun, and treating it lightly is not an option. The statute allows for penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines as high as $35,000 for owning or operating an unlawful machine gun or conversion kit. For the exact wording, see the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes.
Enforcement push around the country
Federal authorities have been ramping up pressure on the growing trade in Glock switches. Prosecutors and the ATF have launched targeted efforts to cut off both manufacturing and trafficking of these parts. In Texas, U.S. attorneys rolled out a statewide initiative called "Operation Texas Kill Switch" to focus on machine-gun conversion devices, part of a larger national push to seize switches and prosecute people who sell or make them. That campaign has helped produce indictments and sentences in multiple jurisdictions and has drawn increased attention from lawmakers and law enforcement, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Court filings say Otis is charged with four felony machine-gun counts and a gross misdemeanor count of possessing a firearm as a controlled-substance user. Judge Theresa Neo set bail at $200,000, and Otis is being held at the St. Louis County Jail. Court records reviewed by the Duluth News Tribune list prior convictions including two impaired-driving offenses and several disorderly-conduct and obstructing-the-legal-process cases, and show a 2023 drug possession charge was dismissed after he met probation conditions. The investigation is ongoing, and prosecutors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
