INDIANAPOLIS — There's a growing number of cases involving weapons converted to machine guns in Marion County.
Just last year, the prosecutor's office filed 111 cases that involve machine guns and machine gun devices. In 2020, only one case was filed.
Authorities say that jump in numbers is largely because of machine conversion devices, which are sometimes called "Glock switches." They are an accessory that can be attached to a handgun, allowing it to fire automatically.
"You can fire off a number of rounds in just a matter of seconds, and it really does put the public at danger,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said.
According to Mears, most of the offenders are under the age of 22.
"Unfortunately, the people we see using these weapons are some of the youngest people in our community who struggle with decision-making and impulse control,” Mears said.
The devices are easier for people to access, either by making them at home with 3D printers or importing them from overseas.
According to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), it's not just a problem in Indianapolis but across the region.
"Unfortunately, these small switches are about the size of a quarter,” said John Nokes, an assistant special agent with ATF. “They're cheap, they're easy to possess, they're easy to hide and they are lethal. They fire off a lot faster than most machine guns that we think of."
A change in the way a machine gun is defined by law makes it easier to prosecute cases involving these weapons.
Initially, it had to be attached to the gun to be charged with a crime.
"Now, even possession of a machine gun conversion device allows our officers to make arrests and the prosecutor’s office to charge those,” IMPD Lt. Shane Foley said.
According to Foley, a vast majority of the guns taken off the streets are machine guns.
IMPD works closely with ATF through the Indiana Guns Crime Task Force to come up with new strategies to get them off the streets.