Today, U.S. Attorneys for Texas’s Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts unveiled “Operation Texas Kill Switch,” a campaign aimed at ridding the streets of illegal machinegun conversion devices, or “switches.”
“We’re here to talk about a roughly one-inch piece of plastic. It looks innocuous enough, but this one-inch piece is killing people,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton during a press conference. “Machinegun conversion devices are transforming everyday firearms into illegal weapons of war.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Boshek echoed Simonton’s sentiments, emphasizing the need for urgent action: “Nothing scares me more than the rapid flood of these devices on our streets. ATF and its partners are doing everything we can to stop this flow and prevent the carnage they create.”
Switches, often just an inch long and made from metal or plastic, fit into a gun’s butt and enable full-auto firing at an alarming rate. They have been involved in numerous fatal shootings across Texas, including a juvenile mass shooting and several police killings.
Despite being classified as machineguns under the National Firearms Act and illegal for general possession, switches are increasingly recovered by law enforcement. From 2017 to 2023, Texas-based ATF agents seized 991 switches, with half of those seized in just the last year.
In a bid to combat the proliferation of these devices, Operation Texas Kill Switch is partnering with Crime Stopper programs to offer cash rewards for information leading to the apprehension or prosecution of those involved. Tipsters can remain anonymous and submit information directly to ATF at www.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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