By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-22 16:51:52 | Updated at 2024-09-30 07:28:16
1 week ago
Police believe a 'Glock switch' was used in the mass shooting that killed four and injured 18 others outside of an Alabama cigar lounge.
Gunfire erupted in the Five Points South entertainment district outside Hush hookah and cigar lounge in Birmingham just after 11pm on Saturday night - injuring at least 22 people.
Two men and a woman were killed at the scene in the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue, near the University of Alabama, while a fourth male victim died in hospital.
An additional 18 gunshot victims with injuries ranging from non-life-threatening to life-threatening were identified and treated at local hospitals.
Birmingham Police told WVTM they suspect the shooter used a Glock switch to turn the handgun into an automatic weapon.
Police believe a 'Glock switch' was used in the mass shooting that killed four and injured 18 others outside of an Alabama cigar lounge
'Glock switches' (pictured) are modifications that transform handguns into fully automatic weapons
'Glock switches' or 'auto sear switches' are modifications that transform handguns into fully automatic weapons.
Use of the devices is on the rise almost 100 years after Congress passed a law designed to keep automatic weapons out of the hands of criminals.
They are small, only about the size of a quarter piece, and can be easily fitted to Glock handguns. Similar devices are available for other makes, but are less common.
They allow pistols to fire continuous on a single pull of the trigger.
They cost about $50, and are easily available. They can be bought on websites and imported or increasingly manufactured domestically on a 3D-printer.
'These kind of switches make a whole class of weapons particularly lethal,' said former ATF agent David Chipman. 'These are really catered to criminal and extremist buyers and owners.'
Police believe there may be multiple gunmen responsible for the horrific mass shooting
Two men and a woman were killed at the scene in the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue, near the University of Alabama, while a fourth male victim died in hospital
Police believe there may be multiple gunmen responsible for the horrific mass shooting - but no suspects have been arrested as of Sunday morning.
It is believed the shooting was not random and stemmed from an isolated incident where multiple victims were caught in the crossfire.
'Glock switches are the number one public safety issue in our city and State. Though illegal under federal law, there is no state law that makes Glock switches illegal,' Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said Sunday.
'Every Mayor, Police Chief, Sheriff, and District Attorney I know wants Glock switches outlawed. Converting a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic weapon that discharges all bullets within seconds doesn’t belong on our domestic streets.'
The U.S. Attorney's Office and the ATF partnered with Birmingham's police chief and mayor to launch 'Operation Flip the Switch' - a program to get Glock switches off the streets, the local news station reported.
'Where we used to see a dozen or less shell casings on the scene, we're seeing 75 to 100 or even more than 100 on a crime scene, because, as you'll see after, shortly how quickly these rounds are fired from these weapons,' Chief Scott Thurmond.
'There's a lot of damage that can be done very quickly because of these weapons. As the ATF just said, there's no place for these things in our city or in our state or our country.'
