Austrian gun manufacturer Glock was sued by the state of New Jersey on Thursday over claims that it has failed to stop the use of switches, which are cheaply made devices that convert their pistols into fully automatic machine guns. The illegal, third-party devices that enable rapid gunfire have been blamed for helping fuel an epidemic of shootings and homicides.
The lawsuit claims Glock has neglected to modify the design of its signature 9-mm semiautomatic pistol, which can easily be fitted with an add-on that alters its firing mechanism.
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"For decades, Glock has knowingly sold weapons that anyone with a screwdriver and a YouTube video can convert into a military-grade machine gun in a matter of minutes,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. “Glock’s ownership sits in Austria lining their pockets with profits paid for by American bloodshed fueled by their products — and we are sick of it. Our message today to Glock is clear: the days of putting greed ahead of the safety of our residents and law enforcement officers are over.”
Glock was also hit with a similar lawsuit from the state of Minnesota on Thursday.
Prosecutors allege Glock has known for years that the design of its weapons can be modified with plastic or metal parts that make them more deadly. Switches are often used by gangs and owners of unregistered firearms, including teenagers. The powerful recoil they generate when added to pistols makes it difficult to maintain aim, especially among people untrained in firing automatic weapons.
The complaint filed in New Jersey alleges that Glock has known about the ability to add switches to its weapons since the 1980s, when founder Gaston Glock developed a prototype of the device. Glock never pursued manufacturing its own switches. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) had already determined in 1981 that handguns equipped with switches meet the legal definition of a machine gun. Unless owners get a special license to use automatic weapons, the possession of a switch by itself is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.
Glock is among the most popular manufacturers among U.S. gun owners, accounting for nearly two-thirds of annual sales of pistols in the country, the New York Times reported.
The ATF reported that more than 5,400 machine-gun conversion parts were seized in the United States between 2017 and 2021 — a 570% increase from previous five years, prosecutors said. Guns with switches have increasingly been recovered by police during investigations of burglaries, home invasions, drug sales and shootings.
Despite the ATF urging Glock to modify the designs of its weapons, prosecutors allege the company has not done anything to make it more difficult to install the devices. Many switches also are manufactured with Glock's logo displayed on them, yet the company has not attempted to enforce its registered trademark to stop this from occurring, the complaint states.
“Just like for any other product, in any other industry, the manufacturer of a product that could be so easily, illegally, and dangerously altered is legally required to modify its design to keep the public safe. Sales of the dangerous product would stop," Ravi Ramanathan, director of New Jersey's Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement Office, said in a statement after the suit was filed. "The gun industry should not be treated differently than any other industry."