Lawmakers push state ban on Glock switches, paving the way for quicker prosecution

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.

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.

Republican State Rep. Matt Simpson is also a prosecutor with the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office. He said only U.S. Attorneys are currently able to prosecute those found in possession of a Glock switch.

“They’re already illegal. This just adds more opportunities for the state to get involved in protecting our citizens, as opposed to waiting on the feds,” Simpson said. “For whatever reason, the feds haven’t been overly aggressive in prosecuting this type of crime.”

Democratic State Rep. Phillip Ensler of Montgomery pre-filed the bill for the next legislative session. The House passed a similar bill during the last legislative session, but it never cleared the Senate.

Simpson joined MCSO for a Glock switch demonstration on Wednesday.

“I’m a prosecutor, so I’ve had a chance to shoot one in my history,” Simpson said. “It’s the same as I remember. It’s one of those things where you have absolutely no control over where the bullets are going.”

Davis Robinson led the demonstration and said obtaining a Glock switch is as easy as finding a friend with a 3D printer to make it.

“At one time, you could buy them off Etsy and Temu and things like that. A lot of that stuff has stopped. A lot of people are just making them now,” Robinson, a firearms instructor, said.

Simpson said he plans to vote yes on the bill in the upcoming legislative session. If passed, Alabama would be the 24th state to impose a statewide ban on Glock switches.

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