A Dallas man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for selling Glock pistol switches. A Glock pistol switch is a device that converts ordinary pistols into fully automatic weapons.
According to an announcement made by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham, 34-year-old Martin Aviña pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess unregistered firearms and possession of unregistered firearms in July 2021.
U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey sentenced Aviña to four years in prison after noting that selling Glock switches into the community was extremely dangerous.
According to the announcement, Aviña admitted he processed at least nine Glock switches classified as machine guns under federal law. He also admitted to delivering the Glock switches for sale.
According to the announcement, a pistol equipped with a conversion device can fire 33 rounds in less than 3 seconds.
Under the National Firearms Act, weapons that can fire more than one round without manual reloading by a single trigger function are illegal for non-licensed civilians.
According to court filings, Aviña and brothers José Bermudez and Victor Bermudez sold twenty Glock switches to an undercover agent posing as a buyer in four separate transactions after being advertised on Snapchat. Each of the Glock switches was sold for $900.
“Conversion switches pose a grave threat to public safety,” Meacham said in a statement. “Quick and easy to install, these devices turn everyday pistols into highly lethal machine guns. While we respect law-abiding citizens’ right to bear firearms, we cannot allow sears to proliferate on the streets of Dallas.”
Jeffrey C. Boshek II, ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge, added that Aviña knowingly put machine guns in the streets of Dallas.
“By utilizing social media, these defendants were able to advance their criminal enterprise and put the lives of others at risk. ATF is relentless in its pursuit to investigate and arrest all those involved in the illegal sales of these devices,” Boshek said.
According to the announcement, the Bermudez brothers each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess unregistered firearms and possession of unregistered firearms. The brothers are now awaiting their sentencing.