MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — In just over one second, 20 rounds can be fired in one trigger pull from a gun with a Glock switch modification. It is a device that some lawmakers are pushing back against.
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Glock switches give semi-automatic weapons the ability to shoot fully automatically by preventing the firing pin from locking back when the trigger is pulled. The firing pin is then able to keep a free range of motion, allowing a rapid rate of fire in one trigger pull.
Congress made ‘machine guns’ illegal when it passed the National Firearms Act in 1934. The law was expanded in 1986 to include Glock switches, but only 23 states have imposed a statewide Glock switch ban since then.
“If I stopped you today and you had a pistol with a Glock switch in it or a trigger activator, we would seize that weapon and it may be three, six, or eight months until you’re indicted,” Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said.
If passed, HB26 would further outlaw Glock switches in the State of Alabama, making the possession of the modification a Class C Felony. Furthermore, the bill would give local law enforcement the authority to make on-scene arrests if they find a Glock switch, and it would give state district attorneys the ability to prosecute those cases.