Minnesota is suing gun manufacturer Glock for making and selling guns that can “easily be converted” to illegal automatic weapons with a small device attachment commonly known as a “switch.”

A lawsuit announced Thursday by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison alleges Glock Inc., and its Austrian parent company, have known since 1988 that their guns could be converted to machine guns with a small modification, but did nothing to change their designs to prevent it.

Ellison, in his complaint, also claims that Glock went as far as to “glorify and promote” the “fun” of shooting fully automatic versions of its weapons — which are typically not available to the general public — while knowing they could easily be converted into illegal machine guns. Glock is the most popular handgun maker in the U.S., with a 65% market share.“A change of design could prevent these handguns from being turned into illegal automatic weapons, but Glock has turned a blind eye and again and again the death toll continues to rise,” Ellison said at a St. Paul news conference announcing the lawsuit. “We are not asking Glock to stop selling handguns, we are asking Glock to change the design of its semi-automatic handguns available to the public.”

Ellison’s lawsuit, filed in Hennepin County, alleges Glock’s practices violate Minnesota laws against consumer fraud, false advertising, negligence and public nuisance. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin filed a similar lawsuit on Thursday.

Gun rights group criticizes lawsuit

The Georgia-based U.S. branch of Glock didn’t respond to an email and phone call requesting comment. Local gun rights groups called the lawsuit a frivolous, partisan attack on gun rights. The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus called on Ellison to focus on people who are illegally modifying weapons and using them in crime — not a manufacturer.

The group also questioned the involvement of the Giffords Center gun control group and the University of Minnesota Law School’s Gun Violence Prevention Clinic.

“Minnesota taxpayers are being forced to bankroll this frivolous lawsuit and other anti-gun schemes funneled through the anti-gun clinic at the University of Minnesota,” said Bryan Strawser, the group’s chair. “With a massive budget deficit on the horizon, legislators must end this blatant taxpayer-funded lawfare against Minnesotans’ constitutional rights.”

Glock switches, a type of device also known as an auto sear, are roughly the size of a nickel and can be installed in a Glock handgun to allow it to fire around 1,200 rounds per minute. They’re illegal under state and federal law but can be 3D printed or purchased online for about $20.

‘Switches’ used in street crimes

Switches are widely known to be used in street crime in the Twin Cities and across the U.S. Machine-gun fire detected by the shot spotter system in Minneapolis increased from 154 rounds in 2020 to 2,620 in 2023, according to data provided to the attorney general by Minneapolis police. And the number of switches recovered by city police in this period tripled.

Ellison noted shootings in recent years where converted Glocks were used, including a 2021 shootout at a Minneapolis nightclub that killed two people and injured seven.

One of the people killed was bystander Charlie Johnson, 21, who was set to attend his graduation ceremony at the University of St. Thomas hours later. His father, Greg Johnson, joined Ellison during the lawsuit announcement news conference at the Minnesota Capitol.

“There are some common sense things that can be done,” Johnson said. “Think of how many additional handguns they’ve sold knowing that this was possible and knowing it increases the demand for their handguns. Shame on them.”