Are Glock "switches" legal?

Here is a fairly recent thread that may have some information

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/glock-question.910823/#post-12419162

Last time I talked to an ATF field agent these "Switch" devices and "Ghost gun" kits were getting a lot of attention and effort.

I wont go anywhere near them. I shot a full auto Glock once from a class 3 friend of mine. Um..no thank you HaHa. Machine pistols are not my cup of tea. No telling what those websites are...could easily be bait.

If you want to put something neat on a Glock striker plate check out those safeties that put presure rear on the striker when holstering a glock. Those are a nice add on IMO. More striker designs without manual safeties should incorperate that feature. Very much like useing your thumb to hold down the hammer when holstering a revolver.

starling said:

If you want to put something neat on a Glock striker plate check out those safeties that put presure rear on the striker when holstering a glock. Those are a nice add on IMO.

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Striker Control Device (SCD) https://langdontactical.com/ltt-striker-control-device-scd/

gunsrfun1 said:

Thanks JTQ. Obviously illegal, as I suspected. I am surprised that website is available to US viewers,

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Illegal to install and illegal to possess are going to be two very different things. You could buy full auto AR parts kits from magazines for decades (probably still can). Even BCG's now-a-days...I wont even get into the whole "intent" discussion though.

The reason why you can buy and legally possess a full auto AR BCG is the fact that it will NOT make an AR shoot full auto on its own. In fact most manufacturers don't even make or sell a semi auto BCG anymore and haven't done so in a long time.

The same goes for the auto sear and triggers too. The lower must also be properly machined to accept the full auto fire control group. Otherwise they function the same a semi auto fire control group. The FCG pocket must be machined out more along with the third pin hole drilled before the FA fire control group will even work properly in an AR.

The Glock switches are 100% illegal due to the fact that the pistol is capable of full auto fire as soon as the switch is installed. No other modifications are needed.

These switches have been imported and sold by the thousands and most are marketed as for "airsoft use only". But as we see they work in real Glocks too.

JTQ said:

Striker Control Device (SCD) https://langdontactical.com/ltt-striker-control-device-scd/

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Yup thats the one. Thanks JTQ. If I carried a Glock it would be the first thing I would buy. Thats a "switch" worth considering IMO. Hopefully some people take notice and it opens up more options with more aftermarket manufacturers for different firearms.

12Bravo20 said:

The reason why you can buy and legally possess a full auto AR BCG is the fact that it will make an AR shoot full auto on its own. In fact most manufacturers don't even make or sell a semi auto BCG anymore and haven't done so in a long time.

The same goes for the auto sear and triggers too. The lower must also be properly machined to accept the full auto fire control group. Otherwise they function the same a semi auto fire control group.

The Glock switches are 100% illegal due to the fact that the pistol is capable of full auto fire as soon as the switch is installed. No other modifications are needed.

These switches have been imported and sold by the thousands and most are marketed as for "airsoft use only". But as we see they work in real Glocks too.

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pretty sneaky. I had no idea that was the case and these were so common. Going to be hard to put that cat back in the bag.

These are becoming extraordinarily common in our local crime scene. Minneapolis/St. Paul has ShotSpotter all over the place, and the reports of automatic gunfire have just skyrocketed in recent years, and it's generally Glock switches.

These switches were common to find on Amazon and eBay until the feds really started cracking down on them. All were being sold as for airsoft use only.

I bet with a quick search, one can still find them available on places like Alibaba.

Madcap_Magician said:

These are becoming extraordinarily common in our local crime scene. Minneapolis/St. Paul has ShotSpotter all over the place, and the reports of automatic gunfire have just skyrocketed in recent years, and it's generally Glock switches.

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Interesting. I didnt even know what they were until the ATF agent brought it up. I told him its kind of an impossible situation they are in as people with printers would just start making something similar. Glock could make a small design change to guard against this potentially but there are so many Glocks floating around... thats not really going to work either.

Pretty serious problem. One option would be to open up the NFA in order to keep better track of things and disuade people from going this route with home brew creations. The other is to just live with the negatives that people are going to get creative with new tech and figure out ways to convert things into select fire or full auto. Best way is just to open up the NFA IMO. Full auto is not my thing but I dont see another way that makes sense. Its not a cure all solution but it might mitigate things a bit better.

We are at a point where easily available tech like 3d printing and file sharing has backed the entire notion of firearms tracking/regulation into a corner. Throw in hostile nature and bad behaivior among the populace and its a powder keg. I wish all you LE be extra careful... even the jerks. Hopefully this works itself out but its going to take a massive cultural shift where people start respecting each other as well as themselves. Big task but I think we will eventually get there. Until then everyone just has to keep their guard up.

The switches themselves aren't the real problem. I don't want one any more than I wanted a bump stock or full auto Ar, but personally think I should have the right to own one if I choose. The real problem is that many, if not most of the people who have one are prohibited from having any gun in the first place.

Another thread….

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...a-glock-or-other-pistol-a-machine-gun.907184/

The legality is a 2A constitutional argument.

I heard one firing 15 to 20 rounds about 1,500 feet from my window on June 11 at 3:19AM here in Murderapolis MN. One person dead and another injured. But the local media did NOT report that it was fully automatic gunfire. I sent them e-mails letting them know that I heard automatic gunfire, but they never corrected their stories.

Personally I think these full auto switches for Glocks are stupid as the rate of fire seems way to fast to be controllable or even that useful for a pistol. They spray a lot of bullets, but very few hit their intended targets.

Alllen Bundy said:

The legality is a 2A constitutional argument.

I heard one firing 15 to 20 rounds about 1,500 feet from my window on June 11 at 3:19AM here in Murderapolis MN. One person dead and another injured. But the local media did NOT report that it was fully automatic gunfire. I sent them e-mails letting them know that I heard automatic gunfire, but they never corrected their stories.

Personally I think these full auto switches for Glocks are stupid as the rate of fire seems way to fast to be controllable or even that useful for a pistol. They spray a lot of bullets, but very few hit their intended targets.

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Full auto is controllable even on a Glock but it takes a good bit of practice to get skilled. Machine pistols in full auto without a stock or VFG are right up there with extreme long range target shooting IMO. Feels like trying to hold on to a spazzed out crazy cat when your not use to it. For people that practice a lot and are into the class 3 stuff I have seen some pretty impressive skills accuracy wise. Very expensive hobby though... everthing about it is expensive. For your average person who just wants something to have fun with I tell them to just get a BB machine airpistol. Lots of them out there these days and a whole lot easier to shoot.

Not judging you but be careful snitching out your neighbors. Thats can lead to bad things. Ive seen it happen. We hear gunfire (even full auto) all the time. It is what it is. I am satisfied they know what they are doing because there has not been any stray bullets hitting houses or people getting shot. Could be an 8mm blank gun for all I can tell.... and Im not going looking either.

These full auto switches for Glocks are beyond dumb for use in standard pistol, but pair it with a braced Glock and a red dot and they become legit submachine guns. The simplicity of these switches is such that anyone with a 3D printer and some fabrication skills can rig one up that works, which in addition to the 80% Glock lowers is why they're exploding in use by gangbangers.

The cat is already out of the bag with these things, their use is going to become so widespread that they will effectively make the machine gun law obsolete, but of course only true criminals will have them as the ATF isn't trained or willing to go into the inner city and lay down the law while the law abiding will have their dog shot and house burned down if the ATF sees they did a google search for the 3D print files.

It brings into question the entire point of gun control laws because these restrictions that infringe on the 2nd Amendment have been made to A. Prevent criminal elements from easy acquisition of firearms and B. If they do acquire them, limit their ability in terms of rate of fire via banning machine guns or magazines holding many rounds.

When it's becoming obvious how easy it is for the criminal to evade those laws, what sense is there to have them knowing that non-criminals who possess them aren't the problem?

One of the ways that you deal with the issues of people using fully automatic weapons is NOT to ban the weapons, but instead to make punishment for the RECKLESS use of such weapons so onerous that no criminal in their right mind would use one.

Using a hand grenade in a heavily populated city would generally be considered reckless. Using that same hand grenade out in the sticks where no innocent bystander would be injured would be reasonable.

In the UK, the penalties for using a firearm in the commission of a crime had such severe penalties that criminals stopped using firearms. One of the biggest problems that we have in the USA is soft on crime left wing prosecutors plea bargaining felonies down to misdemeanors for carjackings and such.

Lets not forget Glock makes their own version, the Glock 18.

A full auto 9mm, it's why all those 33 round factory Glock mags are out there. A Glock 17 derivative, it uses a side mounted switch, unlike the rear mounted aftermarket version.

Here's a link to the factory product. https://eu.glock.com/en/products/pistols/g18

One risk of these gadgets is that anti gun folks have more ammunition to ban these guns as precursors to machine guns. Or move them under a new NFA like procedure. Attempts to ban semi automatic guns are not unknown and successful overseas. This would be an attractive reason for such an attempt. Remember the bump stock ban came about as a deflection of the great leader and Congress from banning all semis. That attempt could be successful if the argument is made that easily convertible platforms should not be in the public's hands.

The big modern sporting rifle PR attempt was in part centered on them not being full auto. Make common semis easily full auto that PR attempt becomes even more useless than it already is.

12Bravo20 said:

These switches have been imported and sold by the thousands and most are marketed as for "airsoft use only".

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So if you’re a kid that bought one for his air soft would getting caught with it constitute a felony?

Nature Boy said:

So if you’re a kid that bought one for his air soft would getting caught with it constitute a felony?

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Then add to that.... the kids dad has a glock! Pretty crazy