Leading prosecutors, law enforcement officials and policy makers from across America join to define the threat and collaborate on strategies to stop the scourge of deadly machinegun conversion devices
December 4, 2024, Washington, DC— The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) has completed a two-day virtual national summit to combat the emerging public safety threat of machinegun conversion devices (MCDs)—plastic components that convert semi-automatic handguns into machineguns. Firearms equipped with MCDs, which are the size of a Lego and can be 3D printed or purchased online, are now the most frequently recovered type of illegal guns, accounting for almost 55% of the firearms recovered in ATF trafficking investigations between 2017 and 2021. A semi-automatic handgun with an MCD can fire 30 rounds or more in two seconds.
“Criminals using machinegun conversion devices are committing mass shootings and murdering police officers throughout America. With MCDs making gun violence more lethal than ever, our summit displayed a wide range of strategies that prosecutors, law enforcement and policy makers can use to make our communities safer. We expect our summit will inspire further action nationwide,” said APA CEO Nichole Parisi.
The two-part virtual summit, moderated by Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy and sponsored by The Joyce Foundation, brought together leading federal and local prosecutors, law enforcement officials, legal and public policy experts, elected officials and a university engineer to discuss the emerging public safety and health threat from machinegun conversion devices and practical steps to combat it.
“This is a huge issue impacting every jurisdiction throughout the country. The summit was a crucial step, with participants across the nation learning about model practices from experts offering real solutions. Now we’ve got to build on the lessons we learned and take action to stop this deadly trend,” said State’s Attorney Braveboy.
Presentations spanned all topics related to MCDs, including prevention, prosecution, legislation and more.
- Chiefs Antoinette Ursitti of Chicago Police Department and Jeffrey Norman of Milwaukee Police Department shared information about the impact of rising MCD violence in their respective cities, as well as innovative approaches to address it.
- University of Chicago Economist Jens Ludwig focused on the marked increase in fatalities from gun violence incidents, which corresponds to a spike in MCD confiscations, a rise in the use of high-capacity magazine and a doubling of casings found at shooting scenes.
- District Attorneys Kevin Steele from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and Hillar Moore, from East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, shared both prosecutorial and legislative strategies.
- Louisiana Representative R. Dewith Carrier, the author of Louisiana’s legislation that modified the definition of “machine gun” to include guns with MCD, spoke about his approach to working with D.A. Moore to pass the legislation.
- New York Rep. Jo Anne Simon shared her approach to passing legislation which requires gun manufacturers to take steps to design their firearms so they aren’t compatible with MCDs.
- The Massachusetts US Attorney’s Office shared a cutting-edge approach to combating online sales of MCDs.
- Attorneys Lekha Menon of Giffords Law Center and Eric Tirschwell of Everytown Law presented on Glock’s marketing strategies and civil litigation, filed by Everytown and the City of Chicago against Glock for its marketing practices and failure to modify its design to prevent MCDs.
- Texas U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton shared the Texas public education campaign on MCDs, which she developed in conjunction with U.S. Attorneys throughout the state of Texas.
- Dartmouth University Engineering Professor Solomon Diamond offered a framework for preventing 3D printing of MCDs.
The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys is committed to continuing to share model practices from combating MCDs and will be announcing additional steps in to grapple with this crisis in coming days.
Recordings of the summit can be found here.
About The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys
The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to support prosecutors in their efforts to create safer communities through a more just and equitable legal system. APA provides prosecutorial training and technical assistance for our membership, which is made up of all prosecutors, including elected and appointed prosecuting attorneys, law enforcement professionals, and other criminal justice system actors. APA works across disciplines to increase public safety and the equitable pursuit of justice by providing prosecutors with the most effective and innovative resources and guidance to better serve everyone in their communities.