LIVE NEWS | WHAT WE KNOW | WITNESS | BIRMINGHAM MAYORPolice believe Glock switchblades were used in a mass shooting that occurred in Birmingham city center on Saturday. At least four people were killed and 17 others were shot, police said. >> LATEST NEWS: Police investigate Birmingham mass shootingSo what are Glock switchblades? The devices are easily concealable, measuring only about an inch long, and can be made of metal or plastic, meaning they could be created at home using a 3D printer. When attached to the back of a Glock, the user has the ability to switch from semi-automatic to fully automatic. The National Firearms Act classifies the switchblade itself as a machine gun. Operation Flip the Switch Since July, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the ATF have joined Birmingham’s police chief and mayor to announce “Operation Flip the Switch.” The program focuses on getting machine gun conversion devices like automatic Sears, also known as Glock switchblades, off the streets. >> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Glock Switchblade Arrests“Machine gun conversion devices have no place in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona. “Although small in size, a switchblade is deadly and many innocent people can be injured by pulling the trigger. People should feel safe in their homes, neighborhoods, and public spaces. That’s why we will use every tool at our disposal to aggressively pursue those who possess such deadly devices.” » Operation Flip the Switch will focus on three areas: prioritizing prosecutions, partnering with and training local and state law enforcement, and increasing public awareness so citizens know what they look like and how they work so they can report them. Crime Stoppers is offering cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of anyone who owns a Glock switchblade or a 3D printer used to create them. >> 7 DEAD, 10 INJURED: Mayor, police call for swift justice for July mass shooting“They don’t care about the average citizen, the residents,” Woodfin said. “They don’t care about the kids, the elderly, the seniors. We need to get these people off the streets. They’re walking around with these Glock switchblades, and their intent is to inflict as much mass casualties and carnage as they can.” »“Where we used to see a dozen or less shell casings at the scene, we’re seeing 75 to 100 or even more than 100 at a crime scene because, as you’ll see later, these bullets are fired very quickly from these weapons,” Thurmond said. “These weapons can do a lot of damage very quickly. As the ATF just said, there’s no place for these things in our city, in our state or in our country.” This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. Stay up to date with the latest stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.
LIVE NEWS | WHAT WE KNOW | WITNESS | MAYOR OF BIRMINGHAM
Police believe Glock switchblades were used in a mass shooting in downtown Birmingham on Saturday. At least four people were killed and 17 others were shot, police said.
>> LATEST NEWS: Police investigate mass shooting in Birmingham
So what are Glock switches?
These devices are easily concealable, measuring only about an inch long, and can be made from metal or plastic, meaning they could be created at home using a 3D printer.
When attached to the rear of a Glock, the user has the ability to switch from semi-automatic to fully automatic mode. The National Firearms Act classifies the switch itself as a machine gun.
Operation “Flip Switch”
Since July, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the ATF have joined Birmingham’s police chief and mayor in announcing “Operation Flip the Switch.”
The program aims to eliminate machine gun conversion devices, such as auto-sears, also known as Glock switches, from the streets.
>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Arrests for using Glock switchblade
“Machine gun conversion devices have no place in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona. “Although small, a switch is deadly, and many innocent people can be injured by pulling the trigger. People should feel safe in their homes, neighborhoods, and public spaces. That’s why we will use every tool at our disposal to aggressively pursue those who possess such deadly devices.”
Operation Flip the Switch will focus on three areas: prioritizing prosecutions, partnering with and training state and local law enforcement, and increasing public awareness so citizens know what they look like and how they work in order to report a crime.
Crime Stoppers is offering cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of those in possession of a Glock switchblade or a 3D printer used to create them.
Recent homicides
>> ‘Everybody was screaming’: Witness describes Birmingham, Alabama shooting scene
Mayor Randall Woodfin and Chief Scott Thurmond both noted that a similar device was used in the weekend homicides in Birmingham in July.
>> 7 DEAD, 10 INJURED: Mayor, police call for swift justice in July mass shooting
“They don’t care about ordinary citizens, residents,” Woodfin said. “They don’t care about children, they don’t care about seniors, they don’t care about the elderly. We need to get these people off the streets. They’re walking around with these Glocks, and their intent is to inflict as much casualties and carnage as they can.”
“Whereas before you might see a dozen or fewer shell casings at a crime scene, today you see 75 to 100, or even more than 100, because as you’ll see later, these guns are fired very quickly,” Thurmond said. “These guns can do a lot of damage very quickly. As the ATF just said, there’s no place for this stuff in our city, our state or our country.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. Stay up to date on the latest stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.
