A tiny, inexpensive device is all it takes to modify some semi-automatic handguns into illegal automatic weapons capable of firing multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger. These auto sear switches often turn up at homicide crime scenes across the country and have become a rapidly growing problem for law enforcement in recent years.
Maryland this week became the latest state to pass a law to address the surge of auto sears or Glock switches, as they're commonly known, because Glock 9 mm pistols are the kind of handgun most commonly modified this way. Meanwhile, New York recently introduced legislation that would go even further by outlawing the sale of any firearm that could be easily modified by an auto sear.
