Attorneys General Sue Glock

By Tom Hals

(Reuters) – Attorneys general in Minnesota and New Jersey filed lawsuits against Glock on Thursday, alleging that the company manufactures handguns that can be modified into machine guns using a cheap accessory known as a “Glock switch.”

The lawsuits assert that these $20 switches allow Glock handguns to fire 1,200 rounds per minute, posing a reckless threat to public safety.

The lawsuits claim that Glock has been aware for decades of the vulnerabilities in its designs regarding these modifications but has made no efforts to change.

Glock has not yet commented on the lawsuits.

According to federal law, machine guns are defined as firearms capable of discharging multiple rounds with a single trigger pull, and their manufacture and sale are stringently regulated.

These two lawsuits represent the inaugural actions by a coalition of Democratic attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia, aiming to hold gun manufacturers accountable for their role in gun violence.

The attorneys general seek to reduce gun violence by enforcing state civil liability and consumer protection laws in a coordinated manner.

Although gun manufacturers enjoy broad liability protections under federal law, advocates for gun control are exploring state legal avenues to challenge this. This approach proved effective in the successful 2022 litigation against Remington Arms, resulting in a $73 million settlement for victims of the Sandy Hook massacre.

The lawsuits accuse Glock of creating a public nuisance and violating various product liability and consumer protection statutes.

They demand court orders requiring Glock to return profits and pay restitution, although specific amounts are not outlined. The Minnesota lawsuit requests an injunction for Glock to produce safer firearms, while New Jersey seeks to stop the company from distributing easily modifiable guns within its jurisdiction.

Earlier this year, the city of Chicago sued Glock, noting that police recovered over 1,100 modified Glock pistols from 2021 to 2023. Glock firearms are identified as the most frequently used weapons in crimes within the city, and that lawsuit is currently ongoing in state court.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a ban on “bump stocks,” which allow semi-automatic firearms to fire rapidly like machine guns. Multiple legal disputes are now examining the boundaries of gun restrictions following the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that expanded gun rights.