Glock switches turn handguns into machine guns and are on the rise in Michigan, ATF says

CANTON, Mich. (FOX 2) - A device that's about the size of a Lego can turn a regular semi-automatic handgun into a powerful machine gun - and one was used during the mass shooting in Detroit earlier this month.

The 9mm Glock is the most popular handgun in the United States and is a relatively simple operation. Point at what you're trying to shoot at and pull the trigger. Then repeat to fire multiple shots. But a Glock switch changes all of that – and makes it possible for an owner to pull the trigger once, hold the trigger down, and fire multiple shots.

Glock switches are illegal in the U.S. but you can buy them from China or Russia.

What is a Glock Switch?

A Glock switch is a small device that snaps onto the back of the gun and switches it from semi-automatic to fully automatic.

Glock handguns aren't meant to fire at such a high rate of speed. It's built with a standard backplate and a sear inside the gun.

The sear stops the gun from firing more than one round at a time. 

By putting the little device on top of the gun and opening the mechanism up, it turns the weapon into a machine gun. 

The carnage that can be created is quick and devastating.

Federal authorities showed just how dangerous they can be in Canton as they warn about how many of these illegal devices are making their way into the U.S. 

"This device that looks basically like a Lego, under federal law, is a machine gun," said U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison. "This is the ultimate violence because there’s no justification for converting a semi-automatic weapon to a machine gun in our communities."

As Detroit Police have worked hard to get the city's crime rate to the lowest level in 60 years, the Fourth of July weekend mass shooting on Rossini killed two people and wounded 19 others. 

Nationally, the ATF says it's seen a 600% increase in conversion devices – most of which come from Russia or China.

"When you look at these. These things are being glorified on Instagram. They’re being glorified on Facebook. They’re being glorified by gang members and by juveniles primarily," ATF Special Agent in Charge Jim Deir said.

The ATF is working with U.S. Postal Inspectors and Homeland Security to stop the conversion devices from being delivered.

If anyone is caught, they will be federally charged and prosecuted.