Stephen Simmons, Possessing Unregistered Machinegun, West Virginia 2023

A 40-year-old man from Nitro, West Virginia, has pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered machinegun. Stephen Simmons, 40, of Nitro, pleaded guilty today to possession of an unregistered machinegun in federal court in Huntington, West Virginia.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 3, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Simmons’ 32nd Street residence in Nitro. Officers seized a Ruger, model 10/22, .22-caliber rifle, two Glock switches, two drop-in auto sears, and six firearm silencers.

Glock switches are devices designed solely to convert semiautomatic Glock pistols into fully automatic machineguns, and are machineguns as defined by federal law. Drop-in auto sears are devices designed solely to convert semiautomatic AR-type firearms into fully automatic machineguns, and are machineguns as defined by federal law. Firearm silencers are designed to silence, muffle or diminish the report of a portable firearm, and are firearms as defined by federal law.

Simmons admitted that he possessed a Glock switch and further admitted that he did not register the Glock switch in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by federal law.

Simmons is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Troy D. Adams and Negar M. Kordestani are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

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