Fort Wayne warns parents about rising use of machinegun conversion devices
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) — “Dangerous” machinegun conversion devices, also known as MCDs, have been rising in popularity and use in Fort Wayne, particularly among youths, the Fort Wayne police warned Sunday.
A news release said, “The Fort Wayne Police Department has seen a steady increase in the popularity and usage of MCDs over the past couple of years, specifically among juveniles. We are urging parents to not only be aware of if children are dangerously possessing firearms, but in particular to take note if juveniles are talking about MCDs, or their common street terms ‘Glock switches,’ ‘switches,’ ‘buttons,’ ‘giggle switches,’ or any other chatter about converting semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic firearms. We urge parents to have conversations with their youth about the dangers of firearms and MCDs and associating with those who possess these.”
The alert came after a 15-year-old boy was arrested Saturday afternoon as part of the service of a search warrant in connection to a Friday shooting at Hanna and Oxford streets, a few blocks east of South Side High School. The 15-year-old, whose name has not been publicly shared, was charged with the attempted murder and aggravated battery of another teenager.
The teenager was shot about 12:40 p.m. Friday. Police described the teen’s injuries as “critical, but non-life-threatening.”
During the search warrant service, which happened at a home in the 3200 block of South Monroe Street, police seized three firearms, one which had a machinegun conversion device attached to the weapon.
The release contained a photo showing a gun and using a red arrow to point out an MCD.
Police noted in the release that Indiana and the U.S. law have outlawed the conversion devices.
“MCDs are small devices, no bigger than roughly the size of a quarter, that convert semi-automatic handguns into fully automatic handguns, capable of firing thousands of rounds per minute. These MCDs can be installed into any Glock-style handgun in a matter of minutes and are not only extremely dangerous but are highly illegal per both Indiana Law and U.S. Federal Law.”
The police noted that anyone can anonymously report the possession of illegal firearms or conversion devices via the P3 Crimestoppers app, online at crimestoppersfw.org, or by calling the Crimestoppers tip line at 260-436-7867.