Chinese GLOCK full auto switch (wish.com)
Chinese knock-off GLOCK full auto switch (wish.com)
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Back in May we wrote about a web site that sells cheap Chinese knock-off gun gear. Some of it is standard fare like trademark infringing holsters, knives, red dots and the like. Buy at your own risk. Just be aware that in addition to rewarding patent pirates, ordering some of the gear they sell could result in a knock on your door and a trip to the local cop shop in the back of a cruiser.

That’s because the site also sells gear like suppressor components and switches designed to turn your garden variety GLOCK into a full-auto bullet hose. Which is, you know, illegal.

The full auto switches have turned up all over the country and our friends at the ATF are busy trying to track down a couple of thousand of them that they know made it into the country. Chicago’s WGN has noticed some in their notably violent neck of the woods.

WGN Investigates has learned the ATF identified over 2,500 individuals nationwide who may have obtained the part, known as a switch, records show.

At least 118 people, possessing a total of 256 switches, fall within the ATF’s Chicago field division – an area that includes parts of neighboring Indiana and Wisconsin.

The ATF is now trying to apprehend the buyers and seize the illegally purchased switches.

The part is not exactly hard to find. In most cases, it was ordered online – from sellers outside the U.S., for as little as $30.

It’s not clear how the ATF got a hold of the sales records for the gear, but . . .

Cook County Sheriff’s police recently arrested two people accused of buying switches from China. Both are now facing felony gun charges.

Chicago police have confiscated more switches this year, compared to 2018.

But officials said they don’t know of a shooting where one was used, though that’s the fear.

Have you ordered anything from the mysterious east?

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66 COMMENTS

  1. Yeah I just saw this on WGN noon snooze. Pretty funny with Hollywood Dart acting extra stupid(as usual). I don’t have a Glock brand Glock…would this auto sear work in a Taurus😄😋😏?

    • It’s pretty much specific to a Glock slide assembly.

      In *seconds*, you could convert it back to a stock configuration. I bet more than a few of these are buried in someone’s yard…

      • I could see the appeal of a two-round burst, similar to the tri-burst for select-fire shoulder mounted guns. That would make a “double tap” quick and easy.

        But who wants full auto? Even with a Fun Stick and 30+ rounds, the thing’s going to bounce and bobble in your hand while you waste ammo all over the map. Dumb, IMHO.

        • I remember fully transferable versions of those things selling for about 250 backs back before the 1986 FA ban…

        • Well than buy a stock attachment for your glock. Make it a full auto SBR. In for a penny, in for a pound.

        • An 8-inch threaded barrel with a can on it and a forward grip on the rail in front of the trigger guard, and would make a dandy select-fire compact SMG that would be controllable…

        • Except these aren’t really “select” fire, are they? Just “brrrrrrt” fire, which still seems next to useless, even with a stock.

          Fun, of course, but useless. And certainly not “chance going to prison” fun.

        • Supposedly you can learn to control them. Glock runs a class on them but TBH I don’t know how practical it’s supposed to be; one commenter I saw said that the real reason they made the G18 was essentially to stress test G17 parts. No idea if that’s true but there’s no giggle-switch versions of other models, so…

        • The 18C with a lighter slide and integral compensated barrel is a little more controllable. A buddy has a pic of him firing it during Glock armour’s class, and there are 6 cases in the air.

        • It would work just fine in a Glock mounted in one of the Roni chassis. One would have to learn trigger control, obviously, but that’s an effective SMG.

          Turns a Roni Glock into a modern MAC-10.

        • “Except these aren’t really “select” fire, are they? Just “brrrrrrt” fire,…”

          It’s select-fire, there’s a control on the back of it you slide to the left or the right, for standard semi or ‘Brrrrrpt’ mode…

  2. Amazon was selling them as components for airsoft(?) imitation Glocks. Could splain where some customer info came from.

  3. If the political bosses of the Chicago Police Department make any claim, demand to see their evidence before you believe it.

  4. As we all know, Chicom goods are world renowned for their outstanding quality, so I would expect these gun parts to last for, oh, tens of rounds before melting.

    • “It’s not clear how the ATF got a hold of the sales records for the gear”

      There’s an interesting question. I get called a nut sometimes for being concerned about big data scoops and the impact that might have for privacy. Though, if the ATF caught wind of web sites selling illegal parts to US end users it could be that traffic to that particular site was monitored. I would guess the ATF can legally do that with some kind of warrant. In this case, the buyers really did seem to be on the wrong side of Federal firearms regs, knowingly or not.

      • didn’t mean to respond to the post above in particular, but will agree that you by from the chicoms at your own risk. Food especially.

        • Food, if you can call it that. My sister came back from a trip to China and all I got was a nice tea cup and a chicken foot that she said was sold next to jerky.

      • How did ATF get the information? Probably the same way they got the Customer Data for Operation Green Merchant (A DEA operation in the early 90s)

        • There’s also customs/tariff info, which could be easy to track if they didn’t sent too much other stuff from the same company/address. They could also go for merchant services from that account.

    • “…so I would expect these gun parts to last for, oh, tens of rounds before melting.”

      It looks like a clone of a part available to certain SOT businesses, who make them for LE departments on an order basis. If the ‘interrupter’ piece is made of metal like the original, it could last a *very* long time.

      I’m sure the 3-D printing plans are floating around somewhere on the ‘net, and with that, someone could 3-D print in wax the part, and then investment-cast in metal the actual part.

      It’s too late to ‘stop the signal’ on that one, the genii is out of the metaphoric bottle and is in the wild now…

    • Anything I purchase ,I try like hell to source from other than China and it’s becoming more difficult every day.

    • Through Amazon I bought a $15 Chinese red dot (Bushnell rip off) a few years ago for my hipoint carbine, it holds zero (haven’t dropped it yet), great for plinking, but would not trust my life on it.

    • Who the fk cares where it was made and just because you’re too chicken sht to use one of these, doesn’t mean they’ll last only tens of rounds….
      I love it when someone starts downing a product that they can’t own…. get over yourself and stop shilling for those MORONS at the ATF…. BIG BUNCH OF REAL TOUGH GUYS THERE…. THEY INFRINGE CONSTANTLY AND THEY SPIT ON THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION EVERYDAY…

      I say SELL THE GD SWITCH and MIND YOUR OWN FKN BUSINESS YOU GOVERNMENT POS MORONS…..

      jus sayin

  5. If this part isn’t a “firearm” and just attaches to a firearm, how is it illegal to possess if it isn’t attached to said firearm?
    Just asking to get clarity.

    • The term to plug into Google to get the legal details is ‘constructive intent’.

      Yes, you can get in trouble for that. It’s kinda BS on some levels, but I’m not going to be blowing my retirement savings trying to change that.

      • So information is now illegal?

        I am once again reminded why I wish to go to a more free country when I retire. That, or completely off grid in Idaho.

        • The sad part is America is as free as it gets still. You could go to some third world shit hole, where technically speaking you’d be “freer” as the government has little control, however in absence of the government goons, there’s typically a local warlord that you will have to pay taxes to, and occasionally let him visit your wife whenever he wants.

        • “So information is now illegal?”

          Having the machinist plans for a machine gun is not illegal.

          Being in possession of parts from those plans would be illegal…

        • Are you dense? This isn’t information, it’s a mechanical device that turns a gun into a machinegun. You can argue against that prohibition if you want but let’s not pretend this is about the 1st Amendment.

        • Just an example of why you use clear English rather jumbling it together.

          “The term to plug into Google to get the legal details is ‘constructive intent’.” Implies that there is a term that can be entered into Google for the legal details but entering that term is in its self is constructive intent and criminal activity. I.E FBI monitored search terms for bomb making, etc, conspiring to commit a felony.

          You would run a much lower risk of being misunderstood with:
          “The term ‘constructive intent’ can be plugged into Goggle to get the legal details.” Which is infinitely more clear.

      • @Leighton Cavendish Iceland and Norway are countries I would consider to be much more free than the United States. While Norway is a few ranks lower on the “economic freedom” index, in practice, the quality of life is better there. Iceland is too cold for me and the islands north of it are definitely too cold.

        Sure, in the USA we have all of these alleged rights on paper, but in practice they are just privileges. Likewise we have abusive police forces, rampant corporatism, and politics so polarized that it edge lords on civil war. Our last free states are being flooded with illegals and the third world. If you so much as dare to refuse to print, bake, or arrange a message you disagree with, its costly lawsuits. Gang bangers are run amok and its literally just not ‘relatively safe’ in the USA anymore.

        Sure we got guns, I can get guns in Norway and make one off the books and hide it just as easily as I can here. Though it may be a bitch to immigrate there since they require college education, wealth, or business ownership, while the USA lets in anyone that has brown skin.

        • Hey, I have brown skin.

          (very light brown, more of a tan, or beige, maybe Navajo White, okay really light shade of tan, well all right then stop twisting my arm I guess it’s just this side of white, I haven’t been in the sun much this year, geez)

        • Well then fuckin move there then if it’s so great. Quit whining about it on here and move to the soon to be Islamic Republic of Scandinavia. Or are you just going to be like all the liberals who threatened to move to Canada but never did?

        • Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, etc, are the ones being over run. Norway and Iceland know better and Norway has been kicking out a lot of their arabs.

        • Nothing. They may not be looking for you. But if they do find it, don’t expect them to overlook it. As far as the ATF is concerned, you are in possession of an unregistered machine gun for which you didn’t pay tax. That comes with a long stay in federal prison.
          Personally I think that all gun control is unconstitutional and say more power to you. But let’s not pretend there are no consequences for breaking the unconstitutional rules.

  6. Either the China Co Squealed for favors or cash or its the fact the Gov Post Office scans all mail & has us all in a database! Overseas stuff usually comes through the Post Office! Another reason not to have a post office or ur address on file with any company or government.

    They are tracking all of us! Watch the Snowdan interview with joe rogan on utube bout a month or so ago.

  7. As usual, enforcing a law for the law’s own sake.

    How many of these Farfagnuters have actually been used in any other crime other than mere possession of same item?

    Gun laws, are to a great degree, in the same category as drug laws, they only keep otherwise law abiding people from having a good time.

  8. The counterfeiting is the worst of it, morally speaking.

    Well it is until you get to that “Shall Not Be Infringed” problem.

    Now about them Glockificator Switches …..

    People have the INFRINGED natural right to own all the boom stick and hand cannon enhancements they can come up with to spend their money on, even the dumb ideas. Hell, especially the dumb ideas. That INFRINGED thing though, that’d make for a kind of an unhappy time to get that knock on your door…..

    “Good morning sir! Are you Mr Dumbass? We’re here from the BATFE and we have a warrant to ship you off to a Federal Pound You In The Ass Prison! No need to pack, we’ll handle everything for you. After all, we’re from the government and we’re here to help!”

  9. “I It’s not clear how the ATF got a hold of the sales records for the gear, but . . .”

    I have an idea how they did it. ATF guy prob bought some and “someone” backdoored the server and got the files.

  10. It’s not clear how the ATF got a hold of the sales records for the gear, but . . .

    The most obvious explanation is that it was an ATF sting operation from the get-go.

  11. It really doesn’t matter how they got the records becouse there is no cure for it. No privacy as long as it’s digital. But what really comes to my mind is 30 rounds in just a few seconds might be fun for a couple of times but on my budget i just would not enjoy it. I would rather spend a half or full day at the range to shoot 500 rounds. Going thru 500 round in an hour or so is a waiste unless the goverment is picking up the tab. Not to mention how fast it’ll erode the lead of the barrel bore and crown end. I just couldn’t bring myself to abuse my firearms like that. Be glad to do it to some one elses and waste their ammo but not mine.

  12. A simple device that can easily be copied, thus millions of Glocks and clones should now be considered full auto weapons and the ban on all full auto weapons repealed.

  13. Ludicrous to ban these devices and full auto weapons in general as they amount to victimless crimes that cannot be effectively policed. Such bans are also unconstitutional in the US as full auto weapons are used by soldiers thus protected by the Second Amendment “right to bear arms”.

    • “how do I make one in my basement?”

      With knowledge.

      Google “Glock full auto” and “plans” and download, then follow the plans…

  14. These will never be legal here in the US. I Never bought a registered auto sear back when, and even if they opened the registry and allowed you to pay the tax to get a fun switch I wouldn’t bother. Burning through ammo that just goes somewhere in the general direction of the target is rather useless, since the whole point of firing the shot is to actually hit the target. The Democrats, News/entertainment types, and other generally useless people love the drama of full auto, to the extent that they will pretend a semi-auto is a machine gun because their constituents are mostly too stupid to know the difference.

  15. —a day after reading this I remembered a news brief that china won a court case in the world trade organization costing the U.S. billions of dollars——-I wonder if that affects this—-

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