ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota's attorney general has joined 13 other states in sending a letter to Glock, asking the high-profile weapons manufacturer to preserve "all evidence" relating to the conversion of its pistols into automatic weapons.
KARE 11's Chris Hrapsky documented in a recent report how a small metal insert —now known as a switch — can turn a semi-automatic Glock pistol into a machine gun capable of firing a reported 20 rounds per second. Law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels say the Glock is a major tool used by local gangs involved in crime and the illegal drug trade.
Ellison sent the letter just one week after the city of Chicago filed a lawsuit against Glock, alleging that the manufacturer knows the design of its handgun makes it easy to convert and yet has refused to make meaningful design changes to fix this problem. The city of Chicago is seeking a court order requiring Glock to end sales of these easily converted pistols to Chicago civilians and "to put in place reasonable controls, safeguards and procedures to prevent their unlawful possession, use and sale."
The letter sent to Glock by Ellison and other Attorneys General says if true, Chicago's allegations “may also involve violations of our States’ laws. We will not hesitate to enforce our laws when they are violated.” In what could be a precursor to legal action, the letter asks Glock to preserve all documents related to:
- the modification of Glock handguns through the use of switches to fire automatically, including but not limited to those converted handguns’ use in crime or violence, impact on public safety or prevalence
- how Glock pistols are designed and developed to function as a semiautomatic weapon, any efforts Glock may have taken or considered to reduce the capability to be converted easily, and the possibility of any design changes
- Glock’s knowledge about all state and federal laws relating to Glock switches and converted Glock machine guns, their legal responsibility as a manufacturer of these guns, and whether they followed these laws and met their responsibility
- financial details about Glock pistols, including profits, manufacturing and distribution costs, as well as expenses relating to alternative designs that were available or considered
- any public marketing or advertising related to Glock pistols, including any claims about their safety, lethality, modularity, semiautomatic function or the speed at which they fire
“Everyone has a role to play in stopping the epidemic of gun violence. Individual offenders must be held accountable — and companies that turn a blind eye to their role in perpetuating the epidemic must be, too,” Attorney General Ellison said in a released statement. “Attorneys general across the country have broad civil-law authority to protect the people of our states and we will not hesitate to use it if our states’ laws have been broken.”
Joining Minnesota in the letter are the states of New Jersey (Whose AG is leading the coalition), Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
In his story on the Glock Switch, KARE 11's Chris Hrapsky spoke with the man who first invented the metal insert at the center of controversy. Native Venezuelan Jorge Leon called the invention "his greatest mistake."
“By just seeing the drawings, they can reverse the technology and make it," Leon said, reflecting on Glock's ability to fix the situation. "It’s part of the problem right now. I would rather to invent any other thing — something less complicated for the future."
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