Minnesota Sues Glock Over Pistol “Switch” Capability

ST. PAUL (KVRR) — Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota files suit against gun manufacturer Glock over its pistol “switch” conversion capability.

The civil lawsuit claims Glock was aware since the 1980s that the design of its pistols allowed for easy modification to make the weapon function like a fully automatic firearm.

The attorney general says Glock promotes automatic weapons to the public, even though they can only be sold to law enforcement.

He says they are violating several Minnesota laws.

“We’re not trying to stop them from selling guns, we’re trying to stop them from selling a design that makes their guns particularly easy to convert as you know. And they’re advertising automatic weapons not available to the general public,” said Ellison.

Among the several documented incidents in Minnesota in which Glocks that had been converted to machine guns have injured or killed people are:

• The May 22, 2021 shoot-out at a Minneapolis nightclub that killed two people, including 21-year-old bystander Charlie Johnson, who died hours before his graduation ceremony at the University of St. Thomas. The person who was convicted of killing them was sentenced to more than 69 years in prison in December 2022.
• The August 11, 2023 shooting of an undercover Minneapolis police officer, from which the officer recovered. The person who pleaded guilty to shooting him was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison in May 2024.

Ellison also says two out of every three guns sold in the United States is a Glock.