ATF Reports: Glock Switches and MORE

Des Moines, IA — According to Des Moines Police Chief Michael McTaggart, local officers are encountering more “machine gun conversion devices” (MCDs). These tiny parts can turn semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons. While that might sound alarming to some, the reality is far more complex than the headlines suggest.

MCDs, also known as switches or auto sears, are about the size of a quarter and can be 3D-printed or purchased online for next to nothing. The ATF claims law enforcement agencies across the U.S. have seized an increasing number of them, from just 658 in 2019 to 5,816 in 2023, a reported 784% increase.

Critics, however, argue that the surge says as much about enforcement priorities and ATF reporting methods as it does about actual criminal trends. A fivefold increase in data collection doesn’t necessarily mean a fivefold increase in use, especially when most seizures come from possession or manufacturing cases, not violent crimes.

Adding to the confusion, the ATF recently walked back one of its own enforcement actions. In early 2024, “forced-reset triggers” (FRTs), which the Biden administration had previously ordered seized, were reclassified as lawful for use with semiautomatic rifles under a settlement reached during the Trump administration.

The agreement required certain manufacturers to halt development of pistol versions of these devices, while thousands of previously confiscated rifle triggers were ordered returned to their owners. Still, the government won’t allow them to be redistributed in 16 states that chose to block the deal, Iowa not among them.