Department of Justice targets machine gun conversion devices in Texas (2024)

BEAUMONT, Texas — A small plastic part that can be made at home in an hour and installed in 60 seconds can "switch" a semi-automatic handgun into an illegal machine gun and the DOJ is working to get rid of them in Texas.

A west-end Beaumont murder in 2023 involved a gun that had been converted to a machine gun according to U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Damien M. Diggs.

In a Monday morning news conference Diggs announced "Operation Kill Switch," a Texas-wide operation meant to crack down on possession or use of illegal machine gun conversion devices commonly known as a "switch."

A handgun equipped with a "switch" can fire at a faster rate than a standard fully automatic M4 rifle issued to the military, Diggs said.

Simultaneous news conferences were held around the state to announce the operation.

A switch device can be made of metal or even plastic using 3D printer.

Diggs mentioned several fatal shootings around the country that were involved a gun with a "switch" installed.

One involved the death of a Houston Police officer during an attempted arrest while another happened in March 2023 in Beaumont's west end, according to Diggs.

In that case Geraldo Escamilla, 30, of Beaumont, died in a pick-up truck near the Burger King on Phelan Blvd a about a third of a mile east of a nightclub near Dowlen and Phelan. The driver, Armando Camargo, Jr., 25, was also wounded, according to a file story.

"There was a Glock switch weapon used to kill an individual in the west end of Beaumont in march that case is currently pending in state court," said Diggs.

When officers stopped a Mercedes party van carrying 14 people near the scene, a 16-year-old ran from the van but was caught by police.

Police found three guns on the 16-year-old and then found another five guns in the Mercedes van according to file stories.

In February 2024, a Beaumont teen was charged with having a prohibited weapon in February 2024 after Jefferson County deputies found a Glock handgun while serving a search warrant that had been converted to fire fully automatic using an attachment on the back of the gun's slide according to file stories.

Deputies, who also found a stolen county-owned fully-automatic M-16 rifle, say the 18-year-old was involved in the theft of guns from twoJefferson County Sheriff's Office "take home" vehicles.

A "switch" for a Glock handgun or an AR-15 style rifle can be made in about an hour using a 3D printer according to BATF agent Dominic Rosamilia during a demonstration after Diggs spoke.

"They can fire 30 rounds in 2.26 seconds and it's just rounds going anywhere," Rosamilia said.

Ones made of metal are often stamped with the "Glock" name but they are not made by the gun company Rosamilia said.

The devices can be installed on a handgun or AR-15 style rifle in about 60 seconds, Rosamilia said. When printed with black plastic it can be very hard to spot a switch mounted on the back the device, according to Rosamilia.

"Look if this was the color black, you wouldn't be able to tell what it was," said an ATF agent.

Diggs cited a recent uptick in the number of devices being found as part of why the operation was instituted.

From 2017 to 2023, Texas based BATF agents seized 991 "switches" with 490, or nearly 50%, of the devices being found just in the last year, Diggs said during the news conference.

The devices have been around for decades, Diggs said, but their availability on the "illicit market" has grown "exponentially" because of the internet and as well as the advent of 3D printers.

"As long as you can download the blueprint you load it up into the printer its takes 30- 40 minutes," said Diggs

Simply possessing one of the "switch" devices whether or not it is installed on a gun carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison, Diggs said.

Legally just the switch itself can be considered a "machine gun" as the legal definition says that any combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, Diggs noted.

"We will utilize this statute aggressively to we're already doing so," Diggs said on Monday.

"Operation Kill Switch" is designed to heighten awareness about the switch devices and to increase prosecution for possession of them.

"I think that the number of switches that are out there in our Texas communities are far more than we know that's why we're bringing awareness to this issues," said Diggs.

Diggs urged anyone who knows of someone using or possessing a switch to call police or Crime Stoppers.

From now until August 31, 2024, callers reporting switch devices to Crime Stoppers may be eligible for up to a $5,000 reward.

This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.

If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.

Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.

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