Birmingham police say 'Glock switches' were used in Alabama mass shooting that killed four and injured dozens of others

Police judge a 'Glock switch' was utilized successful the mass shooting that killed 4 and injured 18 others extracurricular of an Alabama cigar lounge.

Gunfire erupted successful the Five Points South amusement territory extracurricular Hush hookah and cigar lounge successful Birmingham just aft 11pm connected Saturday nighttime - injuring astatine slightest 22 people. 

Two men and a pistillate were killed astatine the scene successful the 2000 artifact of Magnolia Avenue, adjacent the University of Alabama, portion a 4th antheral unfortunate died successful hospital.

An further 18 gunshot victims with injuries ranging from non-life-threatening to life-threatening were identified and treated astatine section hospitals. 

Birmingham Police told WVTM they fishy the shooter utilized a Glock power to crook the handgun into an automatic weapon.

'Glock switches' oregon 'auto sear switches' are modifications that alteration handguns into afloat automatic weapons.

Use of the devices is connected the emergence astir 100 years aft Congress passed a instrumentality designed to support automatic weapons retired of the hands of criminals.

They are small, lone astir the size of a 4th piece, and tin beryllium easy fitted to Glock handguns. Similar devices are disposable for different makes, but are little common.

They let pistols to occurrence continuous connected a azygous propulsion of the trigger.

They outgo astir $50, and are easy available. They tin beryllium bought connected websites and imported oregon progressively manufactured domestically connected a 3D-printer.

'These benignant of switches marque a full people of weapons peculiarly lethal,' said erstwhile ATF cause David Chipman. 'These are truly catered to transgression and extremist buyers and owners.'

Police judge determination whitethorn beryllium aggregate gunmen liable for the horrific wide shooting - but nary suspects person been arrested arsenic of Sunday morning. 

It is believed the shooting was not random and stemmed from an isolated incidental wherever aggregate victims were caught successful the crossfire.

'Glock switches are the fig 1 nationalist information contented successful our metropolis and State. Though amerciable nether national law, determination is nary authorities instrumentality that makes Glock switches illegal,' Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said Sunday.

'Every Mayor, Police Chief, Sheriff, and District Attorney I cognize wants Glock switches outlawed. Converting a semi-automatic limb into a afloat automatic limb that discharges each bullets wrong seconds doesn’t beryllium connected our home streets.'

The U.S. Attorney's Office and the ATF partnered with Birmingham's constabulary main and politician to motorboat 'Operation Flip the Switch' - a programme to get Glock switches disconnected the streets, the section quality presumption reported.

'Where we utilized to spot a twelve oregon little ammunition casings connected the scene, we're seeing 75 to 100 oregon adjacent much than 100 connected a transgression scene, because, arsenic you'll spot after, soon however rapidly these rounds are fired from these weapons,' Chief Scott Thurmond.

'There's a batch of harm that tin beryllium done precise rapidly due to the fact that of these weapons. As the ATF conscionable said, there's nary spot for these things successful our metropolis oregon successful our authorities oregon our country.'