Feds Join With 3D Printing Industry to Stop Illegal Machine Gun Conversion Devices

ATF Director Steven Dettelbach said the incidents of police finding machine gun conversion devices has increased 570 percent.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Director Steven Dettelbach testifies to the House Judiciary Committee's oversight hearing on May 23, 2024, in a still from video. House Judiciary Committee/Screenshot via NTD

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) announced a plan stop the dissemination of machine gun conversion devices on Friday.

Commonly called “Glock switches” or “auto sears,” the devices are after-market parts that allow legal semiautomatic firearms to operate as fully automatic weapons, which are illegal under current laws.