“Giggle Switches” are No Laughing Matter

Texas Feds on the case – with a shared purpose & strategy

By Pete Gagliardi, June 18, 2024

You may have heard or read about the rise of machinegun conversion devices being encountered by law enforcement in violent crimes. According to a 2023 report by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 5,454 guns with machinegun conversion devices were taken into ATF custody at crime scenes between 2017 and 2021, a 570% increase in the five years.[1]

A 1986 change in the federal law has essentially made civilian acquisitions of new machineguns after that date illegal except under limited circumstances.

26 U.S.C. Chapter 53, Section 5845(b) of the National Firearms Act (NFA), the term machinegun' means any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The term shall also include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun, and any combination of parts from which a machinegun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person.[2]

Known by various names such as Giggle switches, Glock switches, and auto sears, these switches do essentially the same thing – switch a gun to fire in full auto mode. Toss one in your Glock, and you’ve got an illegal machinegun. Get caught, and you’ll be the one tossed -right into Federal prison for 10 years. Moreover, they are contraband all by themselves - Glock or no Glock.

The internet holds crime story after crime story espousing the danger these switches pose to the public. Here are a few typical examples of headlines and by-lines:

·      Increase in Glock switches used in violent crime causing concern in Alabama by Valerie Bell, Tue, January 9, 2024.

·      A rise of gun switches in crimes prompts a push for stricter laws against them/Prosecutors want more tools to charge those who possess the illegal device that turns pistols into fully automatic firearms. By Michael Tanenbaum, PhillyVoice Staff, May 20, 2024.

·      They're cheap, deadly and on the rise: Lehigh County DA warns of growing danger of gun Glock switches, LehighValleyNews.com, By Tom Shortell, Published June 12, 2024.

About the size of a quarter, they are advertised for sale on the internet for $100+, or you can make one on a 3D printer.

Crime-wise and public protection-wise they should raise our level of concern. They significantly increase the cyclic rate of fire, throwing more lead down range in less time. The faster rates of fire make the pistols harder to control spraying bullets in wider patterns. The wider the patterns the greater the chances of bullets hitting more people, places, and things.

An NBC Boston, news report filmed Boston ATF Special Agent Matthew O'Shaughnessy, an experienced and proficient shooter, using a two-hand grip as he fired his semi-automatic Glock pistol down range. He placed his shots dead center on the target, but when he activated the conversion switch, he was challenged to keep his shots grouped in a similarly tight pattern as they spread out across the target.[3]

Moreover, Police officers responding to shooting events involving the use of these machinegun conversion devices report recovering higher than usual numbers of fired cartridge cases at the crime scenes.

The graphic below shows the number of fired casings recovered from shootings in four cities - Joliet, Detroit, St. Louis, and Akron, that took place over one weekend this month.[4] The numbers range from 25 to 100.

Last week, U.S. Attorneys for the Western, Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of Texas announced, “Operation Texas Kill Switch”.[5] The statewide initiative in collaboration with agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), targets the use of illegal machinegun conversion devices known commonly as “Glock switches” or just “switches”.

“Today’s important initiative is aimed at raising awareness of illegal machinegun conversion devices also known as ‘switches,’” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel for ATF Houston. “Today’s threat comes from machinegun conversion devices that easily convert a firearm into a machinegun.  These “Switches” as they are often called on the streets, not only pose a serious threat to those living in our communities but a unique and deadly threat to law enforcement. Simply possessing one of these devices is a federal crime and we will work endlessly in conjunction with our United States Attorney’s Office in addition to our local, state, and federal partners to identify and prosecute these crimes.”

Kudos, to all of the Operation Texas Kill Switch partners, and Godspeed to all! Thank you for your vision and foresight to build a program anchored in partnerships, alliances, and cross-jurisdictional teamwork!

I write today to express my support for more such operations to spring up across the country, based on cross-jurisdictional teamwork, policy-driven tactics, and the layering of leveraging technologies.

The DOJ press release on “Operation Texas Kill Switch” explains its strategy of cross-jurisdictional teamwork between the Federal prosecuting attorneys, and the ATF. Having a shared purpose will be a key factor contributing to success. Forming alliances with local, county, and state law enforcement is also a must-do, and they’ve been invited into the operation. I especially like the tactic of engaging the statewide Crime Stopper programs to help combat the proliferation of these illegal devices.

I’ll move on.

In terms of policy-driven tactics, ATF and its Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs), and partners know the tactics and best CGI practices that are working well in their areas of responsibility and a “Kill Switch” type initiative would be well served if integrated into the CGIC rather than operating independently outside of it.

When integrating leveraging technologies into the initiative, consider the 4 basic building blocks of crime gun intelligence (CGI): local incident reporting, NIBIN, eTrace, and NCIC checks. The ATF CGICs have the NIBIN, eTrace, and NCIC bases covered. The challenge will be applying them efficiently and effectively across the entire reach and range of an Operation Kill Switch impact area. 

The challenge to local incident reporting will be identifying and reporting all shooting events involving machinegun fire. One way, for example, is to look at current areas served by gunfire detection technology. These technologies can discern machinegun fire, report when and where it happens, and map the incidents. This data will be of tactical and strategic value for such an operation. Another potential indicator of the use of machinegun conversion devices, but not an absolute one, could be shooting scenes with unusually high numbers of fired cartridge case evidence left behind.

So, why should we take a deeper more aggressive look at this growing problem of machineguns being used in crimes with increasing frequency?

This is why. A single function of the trigger of a pistol fitted with a “giggle switch” is no laughing matter. It can dump a full 30-round magazine in under 2.5 seconds.

The forces applied to the shooter at such a cyclic rate of fire will make the pistol more difficult to aim and control. The fact that bullets will end up in unintended places does not at all diminish the potential to cause serious physical injury or death to intended and unintended victims alike.

Would you agree with me that an armed criminal discharging such a gun in a busy shopping center, at an outdoor summer concert, or in a public park poses a serious threat to multiple potential victims?

What about our nation’s police officers working 3^rd watch, patrolling the dark and dimly lit streets during the pre-dawn hours when the bakers are baking, the trash collectors are collecting, and lawbreakers are breaking the laws?    

 “Giggle Switches” are no laughing matter. They pose a higher risk to law enforcers and the public at large.

Federal prosecutors and ATF Agents in Texas are leading the way, thinking and acting together to develop a strategy, to deal with the proliferation of illegal machinegun conversion devices, based upon cross-jurisdictional Teamwork, policy-driven Tactics, and the layering of leveraging Technology.

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[1] https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/report/nfcta-volume-ii-part-vii-recommendations/download

[2] 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53, Section 5845(b) of the National Firearms Act (NFA))

[3] https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/device-that-unleashes-dozens-of-bullets-per-second-creating-chaos-and-concern/3294694/

[4] https://abcnews.go.com/US/machinegun-gun-conversion-device-taking-violence-level-experts/story?id=110855649

[5] https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtx/pr/texas-us-attorneys-announce-operation-texas-kill-switch-aimed-machinegun-conversion