What is a Glock Switch? Are They Legal in Texas?

June 11, 2024 – One of the latest handgun modifications being manufactured and sold online is called a ‘Glock Switch’. When this small piece of metal or plastic is installed on a Glock handgun, that semi-automatic handgun becomes a machine gun.

Texas U.S. Attorneys recently announced “Operation Texas Kill Switch”. An initiative aimed a machine gun conversion devices.

The number of switches recovered by law enforcement has risen dramatically in the past few years. Between 2017 and 2023, Texas-based ATF agents seized 991 switches; 490 of those, 50 percent, were seized just last year. They are often sold over social media, marketed to adults and juveniles alike.

Although this small device is not a weapon, owning or selling one is a crime according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF considers it to be a machine gun, making possession of the device illegal in the United States under most circumstances.