Bryan police say illegal modifications that turn handguns into machine guns are appearing more often. Police said officers stopped a car near North Harvey Mitchell Parkway and Rock Hollow Loop last Thursday afternoon and arrested three men. Officers recovered two handguns fitted with devices known as Glock switches. One gun had no serial number, which police call a "ghost gun."
Seth Waller, public information officer for the Bryan Police Department, said the switches turn semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic weapons that can fire multiple rounds within seconds. He said the modification of pistols with Glock switches is on a significant rise.
The trend reaches beyond Bryan. In June 2024, Texas' four U.S. Attorneys announced Operation Texas Kill Switch, a statewide effort targeting the devices. The announcement said ATF agents based in Texas seized 490 switches in 2023, out of 991 seized from 2017 through 2023. According to the release, possessing a switch is illegal except in very limited circumstances.
Barry Burdett, who has owned Burdett & Son in College Station for 44 years, said gun rules can be hard to keep up with. He pointed to recent federal changes on barrel length. Burdett said every buyer at his shop still goes through a background check. Waller urged anyone thinking about buying or building a gun to learn state and federal law first.