Dalles Police Department / Facebook
By Joe Mueller, for The Center Square
(The Center Square) – An Illinois lawsuit has led Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and attorneys general from 11 other states, including Vermont AG Charity Clark, to notify gunmaker Glock to preserve 37 years of documentation regarding its handguns.
Earlier this month, the city of Chicago filed a lawsuit against Glock alleging the company failed to change the design of a pistol. Chicago claims Glock knew a do-it-yourself “switch” could make the handguns a “machine gun” and resulted in a “proliferation of illegal machine guns.”
Illinois passed a law last year allowing lawsuits against the firearms industry, which is being challenged in federal and state-level courts. Chicago’s lawsuit claims Glock had knowledge its guns could be adapted to become a “machine gun.”
“Through these practices, Glock knowingly creates, maintains and contributes to a condition in Chicago that endangers the safety and health of the public,” the lawsuit states.
The letter from the attorneys general requests Glock to preserve all documentation from 1987 to the present regarding its semi-automatic handguns, the public safety impact of its handguns, and any knowledge of federal and state laws pertaining to firearm modifications.
“Colorado enacted a large capacity magazine law to protect individuals from mass shootings,” Weiser said in a statement. “When it comes to preventing such tragedies, we will continue to enforce our laws and work to save lives. In investigating this matter, cracking down on ghost guns, and in implementing our red flag law, we are remaining vigilant in doing just that.”
The Chicago lawsuit claims the modification to Glock’s pistols allows the guns to fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute, similar to the speed of fully automatic firearms and machine guns used by the U.S. military. It also noted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported a 400% increase in recoveries of illegally modified machine guns from 2020 to 2021 and a 570% increase in the confiscation of switches from 2017 to 2021 as compared to the previous five-year period.
If Chicago wins in court, the letter warns Glock it will face similar litigation in their states.
“If the City’s factual allegations are true, your conduct may also involve violations of our states’ laws,” the letter said. “We will not hesitate to enforce our laws when they are violated.”
Earlier this week, the National Shooting Sports Foundation filed a 43-page motion in a district court requesting a review of the Chicago lawsuit.
Other states joining Colorado in the letter to Glock are Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
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Categories: Gunrights
I wonder how many of these illegally modified Glocks have actually been used in crimes ? I’d be willing to bet no more than a handful, and yes that modification is already illegal. It’s like sueing Hundai for making cars that are stolen too easily. These d-bags are just too reliant on lawsuits to sustain their offices .
There may some modification than can make these semi-autos perform at a high rate of “automatic fire”, but throwing out that 1200 round rate of fire figure is disingenuous when the states in question already limit magazine capacity of that type of gun to 15 rounds. Should people who have a quick trigger finger also be prohibited from owning a semi-automatic, since their rate of fire is too rapid for some people’s comfort? Howz about we just stick to enforcing the myriad of current federal firearm laws and see how that works to get criminals who use guns out of circulation, because that has not been tried.
Re: Should people who have a quick trigger finger also be prohibited from owning a semi-automatic, since their rate of fire is too rapid for some people’s comfort?
If it was up to them they would, so don’t give them any ideas.
No surprise our lib A.G. Has to virtue signal and stick it to gun manufacturers.. Just another day in socialist Vermont..
the zoo animals need more law suits to buy more bananas/// these are welfare bums of the highest order//// the glock is just another red herring///
Hmmmm. 10 round mag max in vt. If you can fire 10 rounds and mag change 120 times in a minute ( that’s 2 mag changes/second) and still hold onto a cherry red hot pistol….i’m impressed.
All the plastic on that Glock would melt.
“When it comes to preventing such tragedies, we will continue to enforce our laws and work to save lives”
Let’s be real… If these yahoo’s really wanted to save lives they would choose something else, maybe something on this list:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
I don’t see gun crime on any of it, but plenty of things that would be preventable if it weren’t for big business and big pharma….
-Heart disease: 695,547
-Cancer: 605,213
-COVID-19: 416,893
-Accidents (unintentional injuries): 224,935
-Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 162,890
-Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 142,342
-Alzheimer’s disease: 119,399
-Diabetes: 103,294
-Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis : 56,585
-Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 54,358
My personal Favorite would be the one that the CDC has taken off of the list prior to 2020:
https://wilsonlaw.com/blog/2023-medical-malpractice-statistics/
Medical malptractice is responsible for 250,000 deaths each year.
Take away the scalpal and needle, not the gun!
Sue the knife makers too.
https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2024/03/28/video-four-killed-and-several-injured-in-stabbing-attack-that-left-illinois-community-shaken/
How does the District of Corruption have standing as a State? It is not a State and it’s not even part of the United States? Appears the insolvent corporation States and DC are looking to shake down another corporation to pay for the UN sponsored army setting up shop with free housing and meals provided. Chicago reportedly spending $1 Million a week in hotels and meals for the new arrivals/replacements. They are allowed to have guns of any sort by the way – those are free as well.
Profound ignorance on display by Clark. She would do well to learn of, Darra Adam Khel, in Pakistan. A region of industrious tradesmen making most every firearm imaginable with stone age tools. So sweetheart, want to ban hammers, forges and hand files too?
Many years ago I read an article in Guns and Ammo, or Shooting Times about the weapons that are found when prison guards search prisoners’ cells. You would expect pointed, and sharpened implements, or clubs, but they also turn up guns. Now some of them were manufactured by gun companies, and smuggled into these prisons, but they also turn up what they called “zip-guns”. These are homemade, usually single shot firearms made from pieces of pipe with a threaded end, and a matching threaded cap. A hole is drilled in the cap, and a nail, and spring are used as a firing mechanism. The examples in the article I read were made for 12 gauge shotgun shells. Crude ? Yup, but effective. My point, if these disingenuous Representatives of “We the People” can not keep firearms out of the hands of criminals in secure prisons, what chance do these people think they have of controlling criminals, and their firearms on the street ? They know they can’t. It’s all about disarming the plebes.
I’m getting pretty old now and I would rather live out my days in a free state. I’ve been in VT since birth other than a few months in other places. I got my first rifle at age 13 from my father. I still have it. This is not the VT that I want to be associated with anymore. If this legislative session doesn’t wake the voters out of their trance, nothing will. Being a law-abiding citizen in Vermont doesn’t mean much anymore. Before you know it, this gang that’s in charge will create a statute that will get you eventually, yes you. Voting democrat/progressive is dangerous to your well-being. We are not being represented, we are being RULED by a legislature comprised of 2/3rds carpetbaggers here to make a name for themselves, heal the planet and fill their pockets and bank accounts as the connected class. 112,000 of us didn’t vote for this. Did you?
It seems voting Republican can get you RULED as well doesn’t it? Errr… Phil Scott.
Vermont has become a bad ambulance chaser
Extorting funds from big pharma, big tobacco and now the gun industry has become an integral part of funding pet progressive vote-bribing, do-gooder, virtue signaling projects, after they have killed the golden goose of Vermont’s middle class taxpayers.
Brian, there’s one number conspicuously absent from the top of your list:
-Abortions: 1,054,000
About 500,000 of those are committed by the big pharma Danco poison chemical abortion pill each year.
The majority of the other half are committed by big business Planned Parenthood.