Machine guns are showing up in higher numbers in Louisville

Machine guns are making a rising appearance in Louisville in higher numbers than ever before.
Published: May. 30, 2023 at 5:04 PM EDT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Machine guns are making a rising appearance in Louisville in higher numbers than ever before.

“We’ve seen a tremendous increase of these across Louisville and across Kentucky and across the United States,” Shawn Morrow, the ATF Louisville Field Division Special Agent in Charge, said.

“In the hands of the wrong people, they are very dangerous,” Morrow said.

Though machine guns are banned in the U.S., technology has made it easy to convert legal guns into weapons that keep firing until your finger is off the trigger.

They can clock in at 31 rounds in two seconds. All it takes is pennies worth of plastic and a 3D printer.

A conversion device, easily printed by almost anyone, is also considered a machine gun under federal law.

The devices are also commonly known on the streets as switches.

Nationally, in the last five years, the ATF has seen a 570% increase in conversion devices.

In Louisville, the trend is on par.

“In 2020, we almost never saw these types of devices,” Morrow said. “In 2021 we saw a handful of them, maybe less than 20 that were seized or at least reported as seized for the whole year. Last year, just between Louisville and ATF Louisville cases, we seized almost 150.”

Their popularity is increasingly undeniable. They are often talked about in music videos.

“I just got a brand-new Glock with a fifty and a switch,” Lil Zay Osama says in a song.

Lyrics about illegal devices are getting the attention of the feds as they continue to crack down. For example, the song became evidence against Lil Zay, or Isiah Dukes, after he left a gun with a conversion device in an Uber, court records said.

Indictments have followed in almost every major city of people selling the tiny part with deadly potential.

A quick search online finds dozens of similar videos with millions of views.

In Louisville, which has seen a tragic double-digit spike in juvenile shootings and homicides, the threat is compounded.

“There is an allure to them,” Morrow explained. “We find it problematic because a lot of these devices are recovered from juveniles.”

“You have somebody who is in a dispute or a confrontation,” Morrow said. “Is not thinking about the consequences, and now they’re armed with an automatic weapon. That’s a serious concern.”

The power behind them is hard to harness. Morrow said these devices are cheap, unregulated, and prone to malfunction. Meaning, they can still go off, and keep firing, even after taking your finger off the trigger.

They can also discharge accidentally.

The ATF has visited more than 40 roll calls at LMPD to talk about the devices.

“LMPD has taken the time to train their officers, they know what they are looking for and when they see those devices they are seizing them and reporting them and coordinating with their federal partners,” Morrow said.

“When you go to federal court, and you’re found guilty in your sentence, there is no probation,” Morrow said. “That’s the sentence that you serve.”

“If you’re in possession of a machine gun conversion device, you can bet your case is going to be prioritized,” Morrow said. “And you’re going to be presented for federal prosecution.”