U.S. authorities announced on September 11 that they had seized 355 websites used to sell suppressors and conversion kits, known as “switches,” which are used to convert semi-automatic handguns into machine guns. The suppressors, reportedly being imported into the country from China, are highly regulated in the United States under the National Firearms Act, while the switches alone are considered illegal under most circumstances as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) considers them machine guns regardless of whether they are installed on an actual firearm or not. 

Let’s be clear that “highly regulated” and “considered illegal” are just euphemisms for infringed upon, but I digress. 

Boston federal prosecutors indicated that the investigation into the websites, businesses and people illegally selling and importing the devices had been ongoing since August 2023, culminating in these recent seizures. While it is unknown how many undercover purchases were made by law enforcement during that period of time, Ketty Larco-Ward, inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division revealed that over 700 machine gun conversion devices, 87 illegal suppressors, 59 handguns and 46 long guns have been seized in addition to the websites. 

“The proliferation of readily available devices which allow the illegal manufacturing of machine guns is a plague on our communities,” said Larco-Ward.

“The seizure of these domains is a critical step in disrupting the flow of dangerous contraband that threatens public safety,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy in Massachusetts said in a statement.

I think it’s fair to say that authorities are likely to have lists of purchasers as well, which is a great reason to never participate in this sort of thing, no matter how you feel about the infringements… I mean regulations.  

The packages shipped from China deceptively described their contents as inconspicuous items such as “necklaces” or “toys,” according to prosecutors, as “machine gun conversion” or “silencer” might have been a little on the nose for customs.  

Predictably, authorities said in court papers that many of the products imported from China were counterfeit and featured the Glock Inc. trademark, suggesting the switches were produced by the Austrian firearm manufacturer when they were not. No big surprise here. If you were foolish enough to believe they were, then you were ripe to be swindled. But let’s face it, nobody purchasing these giggle switches really cared about authenticity. 

ATF internal statistics suggest that despite the more than 1 million silencers legally registered under the National Firearms Act, less than 0.003 percent are used in violent crimes. While there have been recent reports of increased incidents involving switches, these crimes are almost exclusively carried out by the sideways handgun-holding variety of delinquents who will maintain their violent lifestyles regardless of the availability of these devices. 

“We are seeing these used for retaliatory shootings and gang-related activity and that’s common all over the country,” said Kenny Fos, acting assistant special agent in charge for Alabama, Nashville Field Division ATF.

While it’s nice to see our tax dollars hard at work, perhaps authorities may want to temper the back-patting and celebratory high-fives until they are willing to take on the real issues causing crime and violence across the country, like migrant gangs, sanctuary cities, mental illness, bail reform, many times over repeat offenders and district attorneys who refuse to prosecute real criminals.