MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Following a Memphis man's arrest for possession of 25 Glock switches, concerns are rising about how often MPD seizes these devices.
A federal judge sentenced a Memphis man to five years in federal prison for possessing 25 machine gun conversion devices, also known as “gun switches,” United States Attorney Kevin Ritz announced on Monday.
These devices, which are illegal, can convert a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic sub-machine gun.
In 2023, according to information presented in court, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted a package from coming from China addressed to a 43-year-old Memphian named Roosevelt Wilson, which contained the 25 machine gun switches.
“A lot of times what we're seeing with these lock switches are high-capacity magazines, and when I say that, I mean magazines that can carry up to 20 to 60 rounds," Chief SCSO Deputy Anthony Buckner said.
The ATF reports Glock switches seized by law enforcement have increased over 570% since 2017.
The latest numbers from Memphis Police shows officers recover about three of these weapons per week.
“That is something that is a true threat to this industry. To the business of being a law enforcement officer," Buckner said.
Joseph McKinney, 26, who had been a Memphis police officer for three years, was shot and killed in a shootout with two teenagers on April 12, 2024. One of the suspects who shot at the officers, Jaylen Lobley, was using Glock switch.
Lobley was previously arrested in March 2024 for possessing such a switch while stealing a car, and he was released on his own recognizance for these crimes. He later died in the shootout along with McKinney.
Law enforcement is trying to crack down on the purchase of these devices through “Project Safe Neighborhoods.”
“I’ve been doing this for twenty-two years as a law enforcement officer, and the type of weapons and the volume of weapons that I see in the community are much different than I saw twenty years ago," Buckner said. “We even have a deputy assigned to our Project Safe Neighborhood that each day looks at gun crimes throughout Shelby County, and that deputy makes a choice if a case should be presented to our federal partners.”
Possessing a gun switch is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ritz said that after the latest gun switch conviction involving Wilson, his office, along with MPD leadership, the feds and the county's district attorney, are all coordinating, and they will "go after the people responsible for bringing these devices into our communities."