New York Seeks to Block Pistols That Can Be Modified to Fire Like Machine Guns

Cameron McWhirter

Originally published in The Wall Street Journal on .
A customized Glock at a New Hampshire shop in 2022. PHOTO: ED JONES/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

Bill would prevent sales of guns that can be converted with ‘Glock switches’

Proposed legislation in New York could make the state the first in the nation to block gun makers from selling pistols if they don’t take measures to prevent them from being able to be converted to fire like machine guns.

The bill, introduced Tuesday, was drafted in response to the growing use of the attachments, called “pistol converters” or “Glock switches,” that are placed on popular semiautomatic pistols such as those made by Glock, said the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, a Democrat who represents a Brooklyn district.

The devices, about the size of a thumbnail, allow shooters to fire all the rounds in a magazine by just holding down the trigger, similar to a machine gun. The New York legislation highlights concern by police over the increased use of Glock switches in shootings—and killings—across the U.S.