Communities around the U.S. have seen shootings carried out with weapons converted to fully automatic in recent years, fueled by a staggering increase in small pieces of metal or plastic made with a 3D printer or ordered online. Laws against machine guns date back to the bloody violence of Prohibition-era gangsters. But the proliferation of devices known by nicknames such as Glock switches, auto sears and chips has allowed people to transform legal semi-automatic weapons into even more dangerous guns, helping fuel gun violence, police and federal authorities said.

The (ATF) reported a 570% increase in the number of conversion devices collected by police departments between 2017 and 2021, the most recent data available.

The devices that can convert legal semi-automatic weapons can be made on a 3D printer in about 35 minutes or ordered from overseas online for less than $30. They’re also quick to install.

“It takes two or three seconds to put in some of these devices into a firearm to make that firearm into a machine gun instantly,” Dettelbach said.

  • harderian729@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    It’s an automatic pistol…

    “Machine” doesn’t mean automatic, lol.

    Just use words for what they are instead of trying to replace them for shock value.

    I don’t expect you to do this, though.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      “Machine” doesn’t mean automatic, lol.

      Machines are devices that leverage physical forces to some desirable effect. Strictly speaking, all guns are machine guns

    • ouRKaoS@lemmy.today
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      8 months ago

      The comparison I use for these conversion devices is it’s like putting high-octane fuel in a dodge caravan and calling it an F1 racer.

      • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
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        8 months ago

        Nobody is saying that putting “faster” bullets into a gun makes it fully automatic (or a machine gun) so your example is silly at best.

        This is about 3D printables that fundamentally change the speed at which a gun chamber/clip can be emptied.

        Do better.

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          a gun chamber/clip

          I’ve seen so many people get absurdly upset if you misnomer the place in the gun where the bullets go.

          Incidentally, these same people hate pronouns.