Minnesota AG Keith Ellison sues handgun manufacturer Glock over ease of full-auto modifications
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says his office is suing weapon manufacturer Glock Inc. for turning a "blind eye, again and again" to the carnage in recent years connected to tiny "switch" devices that can easily convert the company's semi-automatic handguns into fully-automatic machine guns.
Ellison says his office is filing several charges on Thursday against the manufacturer, including violating Minnesota's Deceptive Trades Act, as well laws connected to public nuisance, negligence and product liability.
"Glock has known about this problem for a decade and has done nothing," Ellison said at a press conference on Thursday held at the Minnesota State Capitol. "We're not asking Glock to stop selling handguns. We're asking Glock to change its designs so they cannot be converted into illegal machine guns."
Ellison says "switches" — also known as auto sears and machine gun conversion devices (MCDs) — are as small as a coin, typically cost less than $10 and can be installed on Glock handguns, specifically the popular G18 and G18C models, with the ease of changing batteries in a remote control. They can also be made with a 3D printer in less than 30 minutes.
"This isn't just a gun problem, it's a Glock problem," Ellison said, noting two-thirds of all handguns sold in the U.S. are made by the manufacturer.
Ellison also accuses Glock of illegally marketing switches to the general public as an easy, affordable way to go full-auto, touting the "fun" nature of the device on its social media platforms and promotional videos.
One post from the company's X account shows a photo of the aforementioned handgun models with text reading, "Double your pleasure, double your fun," with a related post reading, "The only thing more fun than a GLOCK is full-auto GLOCK."
Ellison also highlighted a promotional video the company released in 2023, showing people firing switch-modified handguns followed by text reading, "Happy New Year."
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara was also on hand for Thursday's press conference to stress the extreme danger switches pose to law enforcement locally and nationally, using the August 2023 ambush shooting of Officer Jacob Spies as an example.
He says while visiting Spies in the hospital, he described the sound of dozens of rounds fired so fast that there was no time to react.
"[Spies is] still walking around with a bullet in his body," O'Hara said.
O'Hara said Glock switches are "the weapon of choice for criminals," and underscored the push for change isn't a political or partisan one — it's wholly a violent crime issue.
"Violent criminals are able to pull the trigger once and fire dozens and dozens of rounds at officers and innocent people," O'Hara said. "People are making money off of other folks' misery."
The chief says the first time Minneapolis' decade-old ShotSpotter system detected automatic gunfire was on Aug. 13, 2020. He said the system detected 154 rounds fired in the city that year. In 2022, the system detected more than 3,000 rounds.
O'Hara says 203 switches were taken off the streets in 2021 alone, and most of the handguns confiscated were either Glocks or ghost guns imitating Glock's designs.
"This problem's been exploding, and it's not just a problem in Minneapolis and Greater Minnesota," he said. "It poses a serious officer safety risk for the entire country."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says guns are currently the leading cause of death in the U.S. for children under 18. Ellison also noted guns are behind 75% of deaths of law enforcement members in the line of duty.
