Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez says his office is seeing a surge in tiny, illegal conversion devices that can turn an ordinary handgun into something that behaves like a machine gun in seconds. In a new demonstration video, the DA’s office shows a side-by-side comparison of a standard pistol and a weapon fitted with a so-called “Glock switch,” and Vasquez calls the difference in speed and control both dramatic and unpredictable. Investigators are finding the parts at crime scenes across the county and, increasingly, in cases involving juveniles.
According to KXL, Vasquez’s team says the devices can be snapped onto a handgun in just seconds and, when paired with extended or drum magazines, can let a shooter fire anywhere from 30 to 100 rounds in a brief burst. The DA told the station that what once lived mostly on the dark web has now shown up in mainstream posts on Instagram and Facebook over the last six months.
How the devices work and why they’re dangerous
Law enforcement calls the parts auto sears or machine gun conversion devices. These small components change a pistol’s internal mechanics so that one pull of the trigger produces continuous automatic fire, according to the ATF. The Justice Department and federal partners have launched joint enforcement efforts to seize the parts and prosecute people who sell or manufacture them, including those who 3D print the devices…