Federal authorities are warning residents in Coastal Georgia about glock switches, an illegal device which can convert handguns into automatic weapons.
Federal authorities are warning residents in Coastal Georgia about glock switches, an illegal device which can convert handguns into automatic weapons.
The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.
Federal authorities are warning residents in Coastal Georgia about glock switches, an illegal device which can convert handguns into automatic weapons.
A new threat to law enforcement from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF is worried about a small device called the Glock switcher. It can convert the handgun into an illegal machine gun. The device is illegal to own, but criminals have been buying them online and on the street.
“They are a huge public safety issue they are basically converting weapons over to being machine guns,” said Matthew Beccio, resident Agent AFT Savannah Field Office.
WJCL 22 News visited the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office firing range to learn about the dangers of the switches.
TRENDING STORIES
“It’s not only dangerous for law enforcement but it’s also dangerous for the public as well,” Beccio said.
From marksman to novice shooter, the ATF warns the converted handgun has limited accuracy, which means the intended target may not get wounded, but others will.
Beccio said, “You are unable to control the firearm in an effective way. So essentially those projectiles, those bullets are being fired haphazardly and indiscriminately everywhere.”
The ATF said it has seen an increase in the number of switchers confiscated across the county, including about 25 seized in Pooler, Georgia, at the end of last year.
“We have had multiple encounters here in Chatham County with these devices. So, they are here,” Beccio said.
Across the country, from Oakland, California; Kansas City, Missouri; Houston, Texas; Miami, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; and even Warren County, Georgia, federal prosecutors are indicting more suspects for possession of the switches because it is against the law to have one. At the local level, ATF has fanned out to educate law enforcement and its community partners about this new threat.
“We want to make sure the public is aware that these things are in fact, illegal, and it is important that they make law enforcement aware of these if they do see them,” Beccio said.
ATF said that is what happened in Pooler when police found a suspect with the switchers. They called their federal partners to investigate. The suspect’s name has not been released, but prosecutors expect he will be investigated for federal crimes.
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.