Minnesota, New Jersey sue Glock over switch that allows pistols to fire like a machine gun

Minnesota and New Jersey sued Glock on Thursday, demanding the gunmaker stop selling firearms that can be retrofitted with coin-sized switches to fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also announced that top officials from 14 states and the District of Columbia are forming a coalition to reduce gun violence by coordinating enforcement of state gun laws. consumer protection.

The moves by the largely Democratic-led states amount to an early pushback against President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration, which Platkin, a Democrat, said “typically sides with the gun industry.”

Before speaking at a Boys and Girls Club in New Jersey’s largest city, Platkin’s office played a video of a law enforcement officer demonstrating how to use the Glock switch. The video shows an officer firing his gun first without a switch, requiring a pause between shots. The officer then installs the switch and is able to fire several rounds without any pause.

Women wearing red Moms Demand Action T-shirts in the gym that houses the attorney general gasped.

“For decades, Glock has knowingly sold guns that anyone with a screwdriver and a YouTube video can turn into a military-grade machine gun in minutes,” Platkin said.

The Associated Press emailed Glock seeking comment. The U.S. subsidiary of the Austrian company based in Smyrna, Georgia, did not respond to earlier AP requests for comment on the lawsuits involving the switches.

A September report by the anti-violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety concluded that Glock pistols are a popular choice for gun crimes, in part because the switches allow for easy conversions to fully automatic weapons.

Authorities believe the shooters who killed four people and wounded 17 others in Birmingham, Alabama, in September were using conversion devices to make their weapons more powerful. About 100 shell casings were recovered from that scene.

Glock isn’t the only gun manufacturer whose guns can be retrofitted with so-called “Glock switches,” but critics say Glock’s guns are among the easiest to convert. Platkin said Glock benefits by continuing to sell the adjustable version in American markets, even though they make and sell handguns in Europe that cannot accommodate such a switch.

Also known as “automatic switches,” the devices, which are already illegal in New Jersey and other states, can be bought for about $20 or 3D printed and are about the size of a small Lego brick. When added to a pistol, the weapon can be fired like a machine gun, which has been banned by federal law since the days of Al Capone’s gangsters.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, speaking at a press conference in St. Paul, stated that Glock has long known that its guns can be easily and illegally converted to full automatic fire. He said two out of three handguns sold in the U.S. are Glocks.

“Glock has known about this problem for decades and has done nothing. A design change could prevent these guns from becoming illegal automatic weapons. But Glock closed his eyes. And again and again, the death toll continues to rise.”

The Minnesota lawsuit, filed in Hennepin County District Court, alleges violations of Minnesota laws against consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, false advertising, public nuisance, negligence and product liability. The New Jersey lawsuit, filed in state Superior Court in Essex County, alleges violations of the state’s public nuisance laws.

Ellison also claimed that Glock advertises its fully automatic handguns to civilians who cannot legally own them, describing them as fun and cool, knowing that it is very easy for members of the public to convert their semi-automatic pistols.

In addition to New Jersey and Minnesota, the coalition includes California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.