“Altering a weapon, making it a fully automatic firearm is not only illegal, but a serious concern for the community, especially when it ends up in the hands of a dangerous person,” said Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck.
Earlier this month, a law enforcement task force arrested a 28-year-old parolee in Dayton who they say cut off his ankle monitor and had warrants out for his arrest.
Authorities arrested Antone Jackson near North Ludlow and West First streets in downtown Dayton. They say he had a Glock handgun in his possession that was modified with a switch that caused it to work as a fully automatic weapon.
Auto switches are installed on pistol slides, and they apply force to the trigger bar to prevent it from limiting a weapon to only firing one round when the trigger is held down, according to officials.
Devices like these are very concerning because they are a cheap and easy way to convert a legal semi-automatic pistol into a machine pistol capable of firing multiple rounds quickly with a single press of a trigger, said Chief Deputy Matt Haines of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
Fortunately, local law enforcement has not seized many of these auto sears, but task force agents are investigating how a device like this got into Jackson’s hands, Haines said.
Most switches are being illegally shipped from China, while others are being made in the U.S. using 3-D printers, officials said. Auto sears can be illegally purchased from overseas sellers for as little as $20.
Machine gun conversion devices are considered machine guns under the National Firearms Act, even when they are not installed, says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Officials say modified machine guns are very dangerous, in part because they are inaccurate and hard to handle so they pose significant risks to bystanders when fired.
“Imagine the damage it can do in a park if two people for whatever reason are in a dispute and decide to settle their difference with a firearm,” said Kenneth Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “That’s bad in and of itself. But you turn that into a machine gun, and the bullets are going everywhere, (imagine) the harm that it can do.”
Last summer, members of the FBI Southern Ohio Safe Streets task force were conducting surveillance in “high crime” areas of Montgomery County when they pulled a vehicle over for an equipment violation.
During the traffic stop, law enforcement officials discovered two handguns inside, including a Glock that was equipped with an auto sear, according to a federal affidavit in support of a criminal compliant filed by G. Tyler Orndorff, a task force officer with the FBI and the Dayton Police Department.
The driver, Adrian Jackson, allegedly told investigators that switches could be purchased on the streets in the Dayton area for about $100, the affidavit states
Jackson pleaded guilty last month to knowingly possessing a machine gun, court records show.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Southern Ohio said people caught with modified machine guns can face up to 10 years in prison.
Machine gun conversion devices are illegal to own, possess, buy, sell and manufacture.
Greene County case
In February, a confidential source purchased two Glock switches and a small amount of marijuana from a man named Louis Newton for about $140, says a federal affidavit in support of a criminal complaint filed by Robert Lee, a Beavercreek police officer and an FBI task force officer.
The transaction took place in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant where Newton worked, near Bellbrook and Centerville.
Newton also allegedly provided the confidential source with a “ghost switch” that had a back plate and blade that are not detectable to the untrained eye, the affidavit states.
Newton allegedly told the confidential source that if police officers discovered the firearm they would not be able to tell that it was outfitted with a machinegun conversion device, according to Lee’s affidavit.
The ATF analyzed the switch devices the source purchased, and officials said they appeared to be made using a 3-D printing process, federal court records show.
Months later, in April, Newton allegedly agreed to sell the confidential source a Glock pistol with a switch installed, two additional switches and a tool to remove the devices, authorities said.
Investigators obtained and executed a search warrant for Newton’s Sugarcreek Twp. apartment, where they say they found multiple handguns and rifles inside.
Newton was indicted in May for possessing and transferring two machine guns and possessing two machine guns that were not registered.
Authorities also asked the court to approve the forfeiture of 21 machine gun-conversion devices for Glock handguns they say they recovered and seven switches for assault rifle weapons.
Officials in Columbus, Cincinnati and other Ohio cities have recently said that Glock switches and auto sears are growing problems in their communities.
About the Author
