New York seeks to block pistols that can be modified to fire like machine guns
Proposed legislation in New York could make the state in the nation the first to block gun makers from selling pistols if they don’t take measures to prevent them from being able to be converted to fire like machine guns. The bill is set to be introduced Tuesday. It was drafted in response to the growing use of the attachments, called “pistol converters" or “Glock switches," that are placed on popular semiautomatic pistols such as those made by Glock, said the bill’s sponsor, state Sen.
Zellnor Myrie, a Democrat who represents a Brooklyn district. The devices, about the size of a thumbnail, allow shooters to fire all the rounds in a magazine by just holding down the trigger, similar to a machine gun. The New York legislation highlights growing concern by police over the increased use of Glock switches in shootings—and killings—across the U.S.
Democrats have controlled both houses of the New York Legislature since 2019, and have approved several gun-control laws, some of which were also sponsored by Myrie. They include a red-flag law, which prevents the purchase or possession of firearms by people who might hurt themselves or others; statutes to criminalize ghost guns, which are firearms made with 3-D printers; and a ban on bump stocks, which allow semiautomatic rifles to fire like machine guns. Lawmakers returned Monday to the state Capitol in Albany for the five remaining weeks of their annual session.
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