ICYMI: New York Lawmakers Introduce First-in-the-Nation Bill to Hold Glock Accountable for Enabling Spread of Illegal Machine Guns 

ALBANY, NY – Yesterday, New York State lawmakers introduced a historic legislative package to hold the firearm manufacturer Glock accountable for enabling the spread of machine guns in our communities by refusing to redesign its pistols, which are uniquely susceptible to being converted into machine guns using auto sears commonly known as “Glock switches.” 

Senator Myrie and Assemblymember Solages’ first-in-the-nation legislation (S.9225 / pending Assembly bill number) would prohibit the sale of semi-automatic pistols that can easily be modified in this manner. Senator Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Simon’s new legislation (S. 7365-A / A. 10053) will update New York’s landmark gun industry accountability law to explicitly require firearm manufacturers to take steps to ensure their handguns cannot be easily turned into machine guns with Glock switches. 

A recap of coverage surrounding yesterday’s announcement: 

WSJ: New York Seeks to Block Pistols That Can Be Modified to Fire Like Machine Guns

• “The devices, about the size of a thumbnail, allow shooters to fire all the rounds in a magazine by just holding down the trigger, similar to a machine gun. The New York legislation highlights concern by police over the increased use of Glock switches in shootings—and killings—across the U.S.” 

• “This is an attempt by New York to protect our constituents,” he [Senator Myrie] said. ‘Other gun makers do not have this problem. This is a refusal-to-address-an-issue problem.”

• “Glock’s handguns are uniquely susceptible to being easily converted into illegal machine guns, making them a weapon of choice for criminals seeking to spray hundreds of bullets and inflict maximum damage,’ said Nick Suplina, senior vice president for Law and Policy at Everytown.” 

HuffPost: New York Proposes Crackdown On Major Gun Company

• “A proposed law, introduced Tuesday by Democratic state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, takes aim squarely at Glock. The Austrian company, whose polymer-framed pistols have played a dominant role in the handgun market since the 1980s, has faced growing criticism from gun safety groups for declining to modify a design that easily converts into an automatic weapon.”

• “A separate proposed law [(S. 7365-A / A. 10053)] would require firearms manufacturers to take “reasonable steps to prevent the installation and use of a pistol converter.” If that bill were to become law, companies that fail to take such action could be sued under a New York law passed in 2021 that allows people affected by gun violence to sue for damages in civil court.” 

• “Only one brand makes it so easy to turn a semiautomatic pistol into a machine gun and that brand is Glock,’ Suplina told HuffPost. ‘A Glock switch costs $25 and a few minutes of time to put an automatic weapon in someone’s hands. That makes this the number one threat in the era of reemergence of machine guns.”

POLITICO NY: PUSH FOR GUN REFORM 

• “One bill introduced by state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and Assemblymember Michaelle Solages would prohibit the sale of any semi-automatic handguns that can easily be converted into fully automatic machine guns through the use of a Glock switch.” 

• “The bill would also bar the sale, possession and manufacturing of Glock switches, and it would make clear that a pistol with the mechanism is considered to be a machine gun.”

Spectrum News 1: Group takes aim at gun manufacturers following violent weekend in Western New York

• “Glock, we’re coming for you,’ said Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages.” 

• “State lawmakers rallied with members of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action. The group is taking aim at gun manufacturers, namely Glock, who they say make firearms susceptible to illegal modifications.”   

• “State Senator Zellnor Myrie said, “They’ve put their profit over the lives of our people every single day.”  

• “Right now, all it takes is $25 to get a piece of plastic and a screwdriver that turns these handguns effectively into machine guns,’ said Moms Demand Action Executive Director Angela Ferrell-Zabala.”

El Diario NY: Presentan proyecto de ley apoyado por madres y familiares de víctimas para frenar armas en NY

• “Así lo manifestó el Senador estatal Zellnor Myrie, promotor de la iniciativa, durante una conferencia de prensa en la sede legislativa, en la que organizaciones como ‘Moms Demand Action’ y ‘Students Demand Action’, cuyos miembros han sido víctimas directas de la violencia armada, mostraron su respaldo a la pieza de ley que frenaría al fabricante de armas de fuego Glock, del que dijeron se ha negado a modificar sus artefactos.” 

• “El articulado presentado en la Legislatura, que también es patrocinado por la asambleísta Michaelle Solages, prohibiría la venta de pistolas semiautomáticas que puedan modificarse fácilmente, al tiempo que exigiría a los fabricantes que adopten medidas para garantizar que sus pistolas no se puedan manipular y convertirlas en ametralladoras con Interruptores Glock.” 

Read more about yesterday’s bill announcement here, and the Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action advocacy day held immediately after here.