Glock pistols popular among US criminals because they're easily modified, report says

BALTIMORE — 

Glock pistols are a fashionable prime for radical committing weapon crimes, successful portion due to the fact that they tin beryllium easy converted into afloat automatic weapons utilizing a tiny device, according to a caller study based connected information from astir 3 twelve U.S. cities.

Often called Glock switches oregon car sears, the devices person received heightened attraction successful caller years due to the fact that they're progressively turning up astatine transgression scenes. They efficaciously crook semiautomatic weapons, which occurrence 1 slug per trigger pull, into instrumentality guns that tin spray continuous gunfire.

Authorities judge the shooters who killed 4 radical and injured 17 others successful Birmingham, Alabama, past play were utilizing conversion devices to marque their guns much powerful. About 100 ammunition casings were recovered from the scene.

A study by the anti-violence enactment Everytown for Gun Safety says criminals often take Glocks due to the fact that they're comparatively inexpensive and casual to run and modify. But the marque is possibly champion known for its popularity among instrumentality enforcement officers, who astir exclusively transportation Glock handguns.

The study was released this week up of a league Thursday successful Baltimore hosted by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a radical that falls nether Everytown's umbrella. The enactment called connected Glock and different weapons manufacturers to instrumentality work for their products and bash much to forestall violence.

"We person to physique that level of accountability for them arsenic well," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said successful an interview. "At immoderate point, arsenic a country, the sanctity of the lives of Americans has to statesman to outweigh the sanctity of American guns."

A spokesperson for Glock didn't respond to an email seeking comment.

Scott and different mayors said portion section elected officials are often astatine the forefront of pushing for amended weapon policies, Congress indispensable besides measurement up and code the issue.

Researchers recovered that 4 weapon manufacturers accounted for much than 40% of the recovered guns they studied, with Glock unsocial accounting for 18%. The squad compiled information from 34 U.S. cities astir guns recovered from transgression scenes successful 2023.

"They're fundamentally profiting disconnected of pain," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown. "They're prioritizing profits implicit safety."

Meanwhile, the prevalence of instrumentality weapon conversion devices has accrued dramatically — 570% betwixt 2017 and 2021, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The devices are banned nether national law. Most are tiny pieces of metallic oregon integrative made with a 3D printer oregon ordered online.

The study besides recovered that recoveries of Polymer80 shade guns — untraceable, unassembled firearms that tin beryllium purchased online — accrued astir 1,200% crossed 28 cities implicit the past 5 years. Those numbers person started trending downward pursuing the implementation of a caller national regularisation and a question of authorities authorities banning the weapons, according to the report. Polymer80, erstwhile a starring shaper of shade guns successful the U.S., besides unopen down operations past period aft a deluge of lawsuits.

The metropolis of Baltimore was among those who filed suit. City officials announced a colony statement successful February aft the Nevada-based institution agreed to halt selling its products to Maryland residents.

The city's suit accused Polymer80 of intentionally undermining national and authorities firearms laws by designing, manufacturing and providing weapon assembly kits without serial numbers to buyers who don't acquisition inheritance checks. It was filed the aforesaid time Maryland's statewide prohibition connected shade guns went into effect successful 2022 pursuing a instrumentality alteration that expanded the explanation of a firearm to see "an unfinished framework oregon receiver."

A twelvemonth later, recoveries of shade guns successful Baltimore had dropped 25%, according to the report.

Gun unit has besides decreased importantly successful the metropolis implicit astir the past 2 years, a affirmative inclination that experts and officials property to a wide scope of factors, including expanded anti-violence programs and ongoing constabulary reform. Violence is trending downward nationally arsenic good pursuing a crisp spike during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study suggests respective actions that manufacturers could instrumentality to support their firearms retired of the hands of criminals, including done accrued oversight of the weapon dealers they enactment with. Manufacturers could besides absorption connected producing safer weapons that aren't easy modified and money advertizing campaigns to summation nationalist consciousness of weapon safety.

"I deliberation communal consciousness tin get done to people. I deliberation wanting to prevention the lives of our children tin get done to people," said Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas. "Manufacturers could bash things time that would marque guns safer and prevention lives."