Tiny devices making guns fully automatic are showing up in DSM
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A machine-gun conversion device for a handgun that can be produced using a 3D printer. Photo: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Tiny devices that convert semi-automatic guns into fully automatic weapons are becoming more common in Des Moines, police chief Michael McTaggart told the City Council last month.
Why it matters: Gun switches can be used to quickly fire dozens of rounds, turning some handguns into deadlier firearms.
- They have been linked in recent years to mass shootings in Philadelphia, Alabama and Michigan.
Catch up quick: Machine-gun conversion devices (MCDs) are frequently no larger than a quarter and can be 3D printed or purchased online for as little as $20.
- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in January reported a 784% increase in the number of MCDs seized by police departments across the U.S., from 658 in 2019 to 5,816 in 2023.
State of play: Some conversion devices — specifically "forced-reset triggers" (FRTs) for rifles — were reclassified earlier this year under a Trump administration settlement, which also ordered thousands of those devices seized under the Biden administration to be returned to their owners.
- The decision allows FRTs to be used with semiautomatic rifles and was made to settle a lawsuit brought by some gun advocates and manufacturers, who agreed to refrain from developing similar devices for pistols, the Washington Post reports.
- The decision allows "forced-reset triggers" to be used with semiautomatic rifles and was made to settle a lawsuit brought by some gun advocates and manufacturers, who agreed to refrain from developing similar devices for pistols, the Washington Post reports.
- The federal government agreed in July not to redistribute the devices in 16 states that sued to block them. Iowa was not among the 16 states.
Friction point: More states are enacting their own MCD bans with support across party lines, partly as a way to empower local law enforcement, Stateline reports.
- Iowa is one of more than two dozen states with laws banning the devices.
Yes, but: The federal reclassification now permits them to be used with semiautomatic rifles, Sgt. Paul Parizek tells Axios.
By the numbers: DSM police seized two of the devices for pistols in 2023 and three last year, and they've seized three so far this year.
Context: McTaggart spoke about MCDs in response to questions from council members when his department presented its annual data and statistics report.
- The number of guns being seized annually by DSM police fell 19% from 2022 to 2024, partly because of the department's change in tactics and a state law that doesn't require people to obtain a permit to carry a handgun, McTaggart said.
What we're watching: How DSM police adapt training and investigations as more gun switches appear on the streets — and whether they'll seek federal help to prosecute cases.