From Newsgroup: alt.law-enforcement

CLEMSON rCo Charles Douglas Mace Jr. was driving north on U.S. 76 on Nov.
20 when he allegedly cut off another motorist with his grey sedan.

The other driver honked his horn in irritation, prompting Mace to pull
into a median, stop his vehicle and pull out a gun, according to police.

This was no ordinary firearm, but instead a rifle allegedly modified
into a fully automatic weapon.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!, went the rifle, according to the other
driver, as bullet holes appeared in his windshield.

The driver survived the attack and reported MacerCOs license plate number
to police. When Anderson County sheriffrCOs deputies arrested the suspect
15 minutes later, they reportedly found a pistol on Mace along with an
AR-15 style rifle containing whatrCOs known as a machine-gun-conversion
device. He was charged with attempted murder and weapons crimes,
including possession of a machine gun.

Also known as switches, auto sears and lightning links,
machine-gun-conversion devices can be as small as a quarter and are
often made of plastic. Each is designed to make a semi-automatic weapon,
where one bullet is fired with every squeeze of the trigger, into a fully-automatic firearm. These devices are growing in popularity around
the country and in South Carolina. They allow users to turn already
lethal guns into inaccurate death machines capable of emptying a
standard capacity magazine in less than two seconds.

Since January 2024, law enforcement has recovered more than 180 machine
gun conversion devices in South Carolina, according to the U.S. Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Most were found in
Beaufort County, Columbia and North Charleston.

These widgets can be made on 3D printers and are easily purchased over
the internet for little cost. Yet they pose significant dangers, said
Corey Ray, an ATF agent assigned to the bureaurCOs Charlotte office.

rCLWith very little effort, someone can have a fully automatic firearm in
their possession, capable of emptying an entire clip with one trigger
pull,rCY he said. rCLThererCOs very little control or accuracy.rCY

To learn about the prevalence of machine gun conversion devices in South Carolina, The Post and Courier spoke with the ATF, a federal prosecutor
in the U.S. AttorneyrCOs Office in South Carolina, and law enforcement officials and prosecutors in Beaufort and Richland counties, among other sources. The S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) declined to provide interviews.

The information provided by police and prosecutors provide snapshots
from across the state about how machine gun conversion devices are being
used by criminals and intercepted by law enforcement.

Out of control devices
On. Dec. 18, 2022, 19-year-old Johaun Moore and a few other young men
gathered at an apartment complex on Kneece Road in Richland County, a
few miles northeast of downtown Columbia.

Just after midnight, some of the men, including Moore, opened fire on
another group at the complex. In less than a minute more than 200 rounds
were fired by the men, including bullets fired from MoorerCOs handgun,
which had been modified with a conversion device, according to the Fifth Circuit SolicitorrCOs Office, which prosecutes crimes in Richland and
Kershaw counties.

Moore lost control of the handgun as it sprayed ammo, and one errant
shot struck and killed his juvenile friend. Moore pleaded guilty to
voluntary manslaughter and a weapons charge. He is now serving a 14-year sentence in a South Carolina prison.

His use of a switch is hardly unique in the Midlands, where at least 104 warrants for illegal possession of a machine gun have been issued since
2022.

As the Richland County shooting shows, the people often injured or
killed by a modified weapon are bystanders or the gunman himself rather
than the intended targets.

Major Dominick Pagano of the Richland County SheriffrCOs Office noted that
when a pistol fires at an automatic rate it causes rCLhellacious recoil
and muzzle riserCY that make it rCLvery hard to keep your firing platform steady.rCY

rCLIf you have one hand on it, yourCOre not going to control it at all,rCY
said Pagano.

When a handgun fires so furiously, he said, the repetitive bangs, jolts
and blowback of hot gases into onerCOs face interfere with the operatorrCOs marksmanship. The switch device and the gunrCOs butt plate sometimes
shatter during the firing of the weapon. That creates flying shrapnel
that can cause injury, especially if the gun handler is not wearing ear
and eye protection.

Though the barrage produced by these devices may seem like something out
of an action movie, Pagano said true firearm experts regard machine-gun-conversion devices as ineffective. He cautioned that things
go wrong, such as overheating, when amateurs take guns apart and modify
their inner workings in an attempt to make them fire more rapidly.

rCLThatrCOs not real world,rCY said Pagano. rCLIt doesnrCOt work that way.rCY

In another case close to Columbia, Zyquon DeAngelo Hudson and JarCOVaughn Lonzell Brown were each indicted in 2023 on a weapons charge after
Chester County sheriffrCOs deputies discovered Hudson had filmed a
livestream video on social media in which he displayed a Glock pistol
modified with whatrCOs known as a switch.

The pair pleaded guilty in January 2025. Hudson was later sentenced to
27 months in federal prison while Brown received an 18-month sentence.

In response to crimes like these, gun manufacturer Glock said it planned
to discontinue the production of certain lines of pistols and replace
them in December 2025 with models that were more resistant to machine
gun conversion, according to The Trace, a media outlet that reports on
gun violence-related news.

Previously, the city of Chicago and the states of Minnesota and New
Jersey have taken measures to hold the gun manufacturer accountable.
Each has sued Glock over the switches, arguing that the devices have
enriched the company while making streets less safe. Other attorneys
general have also expressed interest in taking legal action against the company, though South CarolinarCOs top prosecutor, Alan Wilson, is not
among them.

Justin Hall, a spokesman for the S.C. Attorney GeneralrCOs office,
explained why South Carolina wonrCOt be suing gunmakers under WilsonrCOs
watch: rCLThese lawsuits suggest that gun manufacturers can be sued
because a person misuses their gun. Congress settled this issue 20 years
ago in federal law. These lawsuits are an attempt to circumvent the
Second Amendment rights of citizens by placing undue burdens on gun manufacturers. No member of law enforcement has contacted the Attorney
General with concerns about these devices.rCY

Criticism of state law
In March 2024, Gov. Henry McMaster signed legislation granting freedom
to carry handguns in most public places without a permit, holster or
training.

The broad expansion of gun rights rCo known as constitutional carry rCo also lowered the age of lawful gun ownership from 21 years old to 18.

rCLWe do not have any dominion and control over handguns when we do
traffic stops,rCY said Beaufort County SheriffrCOs Office attorney Daniel Gorley. rCLOur ability to arrest somebody for unlawful carrying of a
handgun is greatly reduced due to constitutional carry.rCY

This creates fewer opportunities for police in the state to perform
stops after seeing someone carrying a handgun in public, said Spencer
Myers, an attorney at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, an
advocacy group. This, in turn, diminishes the likelihood of police
spotting conversion devices until they are used in a violent crime, he
said.

Myers also identified a weakness in South CarolinarCOs machine gun
statute, which carries a 10-year sentence for anyone who possesses such
a weapon. A machine gun, per the staterCOs definition, applies to weapons altered to automatically shoot more than one shot with a single trigger
pull.

Some devices allow for rapid fire with multiple trigger pulls, Myers
explained. An alternative definition based on a rate of discharge would
fix the issue, he said.

Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone rCo the top prosecutor in the staterCOs five southeastern counties rCo said a state gang statute would
allow his office to crack down on known criminals who typically possess
these weapons.

rCLItrCOs not all about the crime, itrCOs about the criminal,rCY he said. rCLWhen
we talk about possessing machine guns, I want to know who these people
are. What my internal information is showing me is that theyrCOre gang members.rCY

An anti-racketeering law is currently before the staterCOs Senate
Judiciary Committee, which would create new felony offenses for certain
gang activity, broaden the definition for criminal gang activity, reduce
the number of people that constitute a gang to three and revise
penalties for certain offenses.

Machine gun conversion devices have increased sharply in StonerCOs jurisdiction, where prosecutors recently secured a guilty plea from a 25-year-old man who was found with a gun affixed with a switch during a
traffic stop.

In Beaufort County alone, his office has seen at least 29 charges for possession of machine-gun-conversion devices since 2024, compared to
only three charges under the statute during the two years prior. Some
were recovered through search warrants; others, during public
disturbances. Many were identified during traffic stops, according to
court records. Per current state law, police would have needed reason
other than viewing the weapon to perform a search.

Sheriff P.J. Tanner, who has served as Beaufort CountyrCOs top cop for
almost three decades, said he has seen an uptick in these devices.
According to Tanner, when his deputies encounter the devices during investigations, they make arrests. Machine guns, he said, have no
legitimate use among civilians.

rCLItrCOs my belief, in law enforcement, that when you look at the
possession of a machine gun, yourCOre not in combat, yourCOre not a member
of the armed forces, yourCOre not a member of law enforcement, you really donrCOt need or should possess a pistol that is modified to be a machine gun,rCY Tanner said at a press conference Nov. 14. rCLThererCOs no reason to have it.rCY

There is a social currency to owning a gun modified into a machine gun, however, the Lowcountry sheriff said, and some criminals canrCOt resist.

rCLItrCOs cool to have a gun with a switch,rCY said Tanner in a follow-up interview.

Among those alleged to be under the spell of switches is Cleve White
Jr., who Beaufort city police arrested in June. He is accused of
attempting to sell a Glock 21 .45 caliber handgun with an orange switch attached to the rear of the black slide, according to court records.

In a video that police found through a search warrant of his phone,
White held the gun and said, rCLI got that button on me.rCY

He was allegedly referring to a switch. His attorney with the public defenderrCOs office declined to comment other than to say that White is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Will stiff sentences spook would-be criminals?
The feds were looking through Jimmy Franklin King Jr.rCOs mail.

On Sept. 22, 2022, agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security intercepted a package from China destined for KingrCOs North Charleston
home. Inside they found a silencer, a device that attaches to the barrel
of a firearm and muzzles the sound of gunshots. Also known as
suppressors, silencers are illegal in a handful of states. In others,
including South Carolina, they require assorted government approvals and
the payment of special taxes in order to be legally owned.

King did not fulfill these obligations. WhatrCOs more, he was a felon,
barred from possessing any firearms, having previously been convicted of federal drug charges and other crimes.

So federal agents kept watching the mail. Weeks later, on Nov. 3, 2022,
they served a search warrant on his Beret Street home. King wasnrCOt at
the house, but agents did find a variety of ammunition, gun components,
a couple of toy guns and real firearms, including two short-barreled
rifles described as rCLghost guns,rCY meaning they did not contain traceable serial numbers.

Perhaps most alarming, federal investigators found whatrCOs known as a lightning link or a swift link rCo a machine-gun-conversion device that
can be installed in a semi-automatic rifle, making the rifle fully
automatic. Beyond the single lightning link, agents found two 3D
printers at the Beret Street home, each loaded with software to print
more lightning links.

While switch devices on handguns create dangerous but inaccurate
weapons, the installation of a lightning link on a semi-auto rifle
essentially creates an especially deadly rCLmilitary-grade machine gunrCY
that is both accurate and rapid-firing, said Asst. U.S. Attorney Cole
Shannon, who prosecuted the governmentrCOs case against King.

Shannon believes the government caught the felon in the rCLtest stage,rCY
when he was perfecting the manufacture of machine-gun-conversion devices
before ramping up mass production. The Federal Public DefenderrCOs Office
in Charleston, who represented King, declined to comment about his case.

Nearly a year after the raid, on Sep. 23, 2023, federal agents arrested
King in Maine. He resisted arrest, said Shannon, and was found with two weapons, a handgun and an AR-style pistol, neither of which featured
serial numbers. King, who was placed in handcuffs and leg shackles in
Maine, then tried to unlock his bindings with a key he had concealed on
his person, said the federal prosecutor.

In March, a federal judge in Charleston sentenced King to nearly 10
years in prison for possession of firearms as a convicted felon. Shannon
noted the punishment is lengthy, especially for a non-violent offense.
Stiff sentences are crucial, he said, for creating a rCLreal deterrent effectrCY when it comes to the trafficking of machine-guard-conversion
devices.

The prosecutor believes criminals are getting the message. During a
recent federal law enforcement surge in Memphis, said Shannon, agents
reported that alleged gangsters were removing conversion devices from
their firearms in order to lessen their potential criminal exposure
should they be arrested.

rCLA lot of them just wonrCOt risk it,rCY he said.

https://www.postandcourier.com/news/machine-gun-conversion-switches-sc-la w-enforcement/article_f2816ff9-516e-41ee-9fa4-b13555ecd271.html

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