Detroit pastor raises concern over use, access to Glock switches

By Lauren Winfrey

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    DETROIT (WWJ) — A spike in the number of incidents involving machine gun conversion devices, or Glock switches, is having far-reaching effects across the country and right here in Detroit and the metro area.

The small devices, about the size of a Lego, can be attached to a handgun, converting it into a fully automatic weapon. Instead of one bullet fired when the trigger is pulled, the illegal devices allow multiple rounds to be fired.

A demonstration led by a certified firearms instructor from the U.S. Attorney’s office earlier this week illustrated just that.

“I won’t say I’ve seen it all, but I’ve seen a lot,” Spencer Ellis said.

Spencer Ellis, Lead Pastor of Citadel of Praise in Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood, says gun violence in Detroit has affected members of his congregation personally, and he struggles to understand how these illegal ‘glock switches’ are making their way into the hands of everyday people.

“Do we actually need Glocks,” he asked.

“I’m not familiar with all the guns, but do we need AK-47s, do we need machine guns? The question that someone would really need to explain to me is why would a common John Doe need that kind of assault weapon,” he continued.

Federal investigators say although they’ve seen a significant increase in the use and access to handgun switches, they’re doing something about it.

“We won’t stop protecting our community from violent offenders,” Don Ison said.

“And this is the ultimate violence because there’s no justification for converting a semiautomatic weapon to a machine gun in our communities,” she continued.

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Dawn Ison confirmed that people often obtain Glock switches in one of two ways: ordering the devices from overseas or making them. However, she says anyone in possession of one will be prosecuted.

“We won’t tolerate that now or ever,” she said.

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