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By Monica Sager
Live News Reporter
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The Minnesota and New Jersey attorneys general sued Glock on Thursday for failing to make changes to prevent the conversion of its pistols to an illegal machine gun.
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison both filed lawsuits on Thursday against Glock's design of its 9 mm semiautomatic pistol.
Criminals have in recent years been able to fit Glocks with switches, which are cheap and easily obtainable plastic blocks that allow the pistol to be converted into an automatic weapon. The firearms are then capable of firing dozens of bullets with one pull of the trigger.
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"With this lawsuit, we are putting the homemade machine gun industry out of business," Platkin said in a press release. "For decades, Glock has knowingly sold weapons that anyone with a screwdriver and a YouTube video can convert into a military-grade machine gun in a matter of minutes."
Newsweek has contacted Glock via email for comment.
On requests for comment, Platkin and Ellison's offices referred Newsweek to the press release and news conferences.
The switches, which can be purchased for less than $20 or created on a 3D printer, allow the pistols to fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute, according to Platkin. The press release said the function to become a machine gun was "built into Glock's design."
Switch manufacturers often print Glock logos on their products, which leads consumers to believe they are legitimate. While the logo has been a trademark, Platkin noted that Glock has not taken steps to "dissociate itself from the switches bearing its brand."
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Over 5,400 machine gun conversion parts were seized between 2017 and 2021, according to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This is a 570 percent increase for the five-year period before.
Platkin noted that in New Jersey, Glock handgun crime increased by 104 percent from 2020 to 2023.
"Glock's ownership sits in Austria lining their pockets with profits paid for by American bloodshed fueled by their products—and we are sick of it," Platkin wrote. "Our message today to Glock is clear: the days of putting greed ahead of the safety of our residents and law enforcement officers are over."
Ravi Ramanathan, the director of the firearm accountability organization Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement Office, said in the press release that the Glocks are used to "perpetrate violent crime," yet the company has "done nothing meaningful to stop it."
The complaint alleges that the company has known about the ability to use the switches since the 1980s. The manufacturer's founder, Gaston Glock, had at the time allegedly shown a prototype of a Glock switch in 1988.
The lawsuit in New Jersey said that Gaston Glock demonstrated the design to a man named Jorge Leon who later patented a design "that has become the basis for the now-ubiquitous aftermarket Glock switches."
"Just like for any other product, in any other industry, the manufacturer of a product that could be so easily, illegally, and dangerously altered is legally required to modify its design to keep the public safe. Sales of the dangerous product would stop," Ramanathan said.
"The gun industry should not be treated differently than any other industry. That is what we are demanding today."
Platkin's press release noted that he is filing the suit as part of a formation of a multistate coalition "to hold irresponsible firearms industry members accountable for their devastating impact on gun violence."
The New Jersey Attorney General's Office told Newsweek: "These particular lawsuits were filed by Minnesota and New Jersey only, but the larger coalition that will be working together includes 16 states in total."
Local New Jersey paper The Record reported that the coalition will also include the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont, in addition to Washington D.C.
A similar lawsuit was filed by the city of Chicago in March.
"I am suing Glock for knowingly manufacturing and selling handguns that can easily be converted into machine guns," said Ellison. "Glock's actions, and their inaction, violate Minnesota law, and put kids, communities, and law enforcement in danger. This has to stop."
Ellison also held a livestream press conference on the issue on his Facebook page. He shared two recent shooting occurrences, where the Glock switch allowed for a more deadly situation.
"Glock has known about this problem for decades and has done nothing," Ellison said. "Glock is in violation of several Minnesota laws."
Updated, 12/12/2024, 3:45 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to clarify what SAFE is.
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