ATF Sees Rise In Quarter-sized Switch That Turns Handguns Into ...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating more incidents involving a quarter-sized device that transforms a semi-automatic weapon into what's qualified as a machine gun.

ATF sees rise in quarter-sized switch that turns handguns into machine guns (WBMA)

Without a Glock switch, a semi-automatic pistol fires one bullet per trigger pull and can only fire as quickly as the operator pulls the trigger.

With a switch, one trigger pull can clear out a 30-round magazine clip in less than two seconds; in one minute, the gun could fire 1,200 rounds.

"That's a lot of bullets going downrange, and it's a great risk to everyone involved," said Mickey French, the Special Agent in Charge for ATF's Nashville Division, which covers Alabama.

Not only are an enormous amount of bullets being released at one time, but the power of the modified gun makes it difficult for the operator to control.

"The muzzle likes to rise. Novices will be unable to keep the rounds impacting the paper at 21 feet," said ATF Special Agent, Morgan Madison.

Madison has a significant amount of training with automatic weapons. Even for him, it was difficult to stay on target.

"I've shot AK-47, MP-5s, all sorts of fully automatic weapons and this one was the most difficult to control that I have found," he said.

The switches aren't new, but they've been on the rise recently.

"We are seeing them trickle from West to East," said French. "We started seeing a great majority of them in Memphis and the western parts of Tennessee all over the past year and a half. Within the past year though, we've seen a tremendous increase."

There are over 80 open investigations for the ATF Nashville Division, with 100 recovered so far. There are 1,500 ATF investigations involving the devices nationwide. Some of those cases come from Alabama.

ATF sees rise in quarter-sized switch that turns handguns into machine guns (WBMA)

"We have offices in Huntsville, Birmingham, Mobile and Montgomery and we have recovered or dealt with these in all four of those major metropolitan cities," said French.

ATF has tracked down switches in both Mobile and Montgomery. Tuscaloosa police recovered devices last summer.

"The first officer, he didn't know what it was. He turned it into evidence and then they figured it out that it was a Glock switch that had been attached to a regular pistol," said Stephanie Taylor, Public Information Officer for Tuscaloosa Police Department.

Many officers across the state and country are now being trained to recognize the devices.

"It is an officer safety situation because if they came up against someone who was firing a gun like this, that has this kind of power, they aren't going to be outmatched necessarily because they are very well trained, but they are definitely out-gunned. They don't have that kind of firepower and it's scary," said Taylor.

French said ATF is working to ensure local and state agencies are aware of the dangers to themselves and the general public. He explained that most switches are being bought online and sent to the U.S. They are typically shipped in boxes marked as something different.

"They are hidden in how they are marketed and that's what the challenge is for law enforcement when we also don't have the ability to regulate other countries," said French. "ATF, every time we identify them we are taking steps to close those sites down but they are just popping up."

He added the ATF has started to see switches that are 3-D printed.

If a gun has a switch on it, there is a small piece that extends further off the back of the gun. The device is typically black and some even have the Glock logo on them, even though they are not associated with the manufacturers. French said the 3-D printed versions can come in several colors.

The punishment for having a Glock switch starts at 10 years in prison and can go up from there, depending on other factors.