So-called “Glock switches,” after-market devices that can convert Glock pistols from semi-automatic to fully automatic fire, are already banned, but some states want to take it a step farther, banning the pistols themselves.
Bills have gained traction in the California and Illinois state legislatures to ban the sales of Glocks or other handguns that could possibly be converted to full-auto fire with after-market switches.
Gun rights advocates worry that similar bills might start cropping up in other states, even though Glock pistols are some of the most popular firearms in America.
And as gun friendly as Wyoming might be, Glock owners here shouldn’t just assume Wyoming won’t see similar bills pop up someday, gun rights advocate Mark Jones of Buffalo told Cowboy State Daily.
“In the long-term, if elections go bad in our primaries, and we lose strong Second Amendment supporters, anything is possible,” said Jones, national director for Gun Owners of America. “Colorado has shown us that with their transformation over a decade. Our citizens need to be vigilant and not think it cannot happen here.”
Converting To Full Auto Is Illegal, Stupid, Dangerous
Glock is among the best-known manufacturers of semi-automatic pistols. They are handguns that typically have an ammunition magazine that fits into a magazine well in the firearms handle and are capable of semi-automatic fire.
Semi-automatic fire means the gun fires one shot each time the trigger is pulled and then cycles the action to eject the spent cartridge casing and load another round into the firing chamber.
Fully-automatic fire means the gun starts firing once the trigger is pulled. And it continuously keeps cycling, ejecting spent casings and feeding new rounds into the firing chamber, until the trigger is released, or the ammunition magazine is empty.
The ownership of fully-automatic firearms of any type is severely restricted under the National Firearms Act of 1934.
And it’s illegal to attempt converting semi-automatic firearms to full-auto.
So-called “Glock Switches” can convert certain Glock pistols to fully automatic fire by altering the trigger mechanism. They can be installed on the rear of a pistol’s slide, or the upper portion of the action that cycles when the gun is fired.
Those devices have been banned for years.
Some Wyoming firearms experts previously told Cowboy State Daily that trying to install and use Glock switches isn’t just illegal, it’s also stupid and dangerous.
Glock switches are made by sketchy foreign sources and imported through the illegal black market. So there’s no guarantee that they would even function properly, and they might even make a Glock blow to pieces, gun experts said.
Why The Effort To Ban Glocks?
In California, Assembly Bill 1127 proposes banning any further sales of Glock handguns in that state. Along with any other similar semi-automatic handguns that might accept after-market full-auto switches.
A similar measure, HB4045 is before the Illinois Legislature.
There is some concern among Second Amendment advocates that other states might take up the push.
“The banning of components seems to be a trend lately in Blue states, or from Democrats in red states,” Jones said.
“Part of this is that Second Amendment rights are advancing at the federal level under (President) Trump's new policies and advancing in many red states,” he added.
Another Failed Argument?
Jones says the movement to ban Glocks, under the auspices that some people might try to convert them into full autos, probably won’t gain traction.
“I think it's a new gun control tactic and a form of desperation. Specifically, to these switches, it is already a federal felony to illegally convert a weapon to full auto, and Glock worked to mitigate the ease this could be done on their Gen. 4 and later guns. To summarize, this is already illegal, so more unconstitutional gun control isn't the answer,” he said.
The only immediate effect that Wyomingites might see is if they try taking their Glocks to states trying to ban them, he added.
“In the short-term, it certainly could impact travel. Our travelers, even if traveling with a reciprocal permit (a firearms permit good in numerous states), need to comply with the laws of the state where they go,” Jones said.
George Mocsary, director of the Firearms Research Center and professor at the UW College of Law, told Cowboy State Daily that he thinks that efforts to ban Glocks and other handguns are doomed to fail.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 2008 Heller decision (District of Columbia v. Heller) determined that the Second Amendment protects the individual citizen’s right to keep and bear arms, unconnected to service in a militia.
It also affirmed the individual right to own handguns, Mocsary said.
The Heller decision put to rest the argument that handguns should be banned because some people use them for nefarious purposes, he said.
And the argument that handguns should be banned because some people might try to illegally convert them into fully automatic weapons will probably likewise fail, he said.
“It’s just an effort by these states to harass the people who own these Glock handguns lawfully,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
