New legislation proposed in New York aims to be the first in the nation to prevent gun manufacturers from selling pistols that can be modified to shoot like machine guns, according to The Wall Street Journal. The bill, targeting the use of “pistol converters” or “Glock switches” as they are more commonly called, would make it a felony to sell, transport or ship such convertible pistols as merchandise, though law enforcement and military sales would be exempt.
Introduced by State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, a Brooklyn Democrat, the bill responds to police concerns about the rising use of these devices in violent crimes across the United States. The converters allow a pistol to fire continuously while the trigger is held down, mirroring machine gun fire.
Myrie noted the legislation specifically addresses Glock pistols, which are notably susceptible to these conversions. The measure comes amid several gun control efforts by the Democratic-led New York Legislature, including laws against ghost guns and bump stocks.
The bill will face significant opposition from gun-rights advocates and legal challenges from gun manufacturers, who argue it unfairly targets them for how their products might be misused. Tom King, president of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, criticized the bill as a misunderstanding of firearms’ functionality and a step toward banning Glock pistols entirely.
Glock, whose U.S. headquarters is in Georgia, has not commented on the proposal. The legislation has been drafted with input from the anti-gun group, Everytown for Gun Safety, whose officials label the misuse of Glock pistols with switches as a national crisis.
The legislative session in Albany continues for five more weeks, during which the fate of this pioneering bill will be decided.
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