The term has been all over the news, all over social media, and probably all over evidence lockers around the country. The “Glock Switch” (also known as a “buzz plate”)is a pretty nifty but illegal piece of machinery that has taken the firearm world by storm and although it mostly breaks the currently established laws here in the United States, there’s still a few things to be learned about the Glock Switch, and the real-life counterpart it’s trying to imitate. So today we’ll give you a brief overview of what the Glock Switch is, why it’s illegal to own in most cases, and what, if any, practical application these little devices might have.

The Glock Switch

A Glock switch is in reality a whole replacement piece for your Glock’s rear cover plate. The rear cover plate features a select fire switch or a button in order to flip the firearm from semi-auto to full-auto fire. This, according to the ATF’s definition of a Machine Gun, makes the Glock Switch an NFA item that would otherwise be illegal to own without ATF approval.

 

“The device operates by applying force to the trigger bar to prevent it from limiting the weapon to firing only one round each time the trigger is depressed.”

-Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Kansas

 

While recent news about Glock switches is mostly about cheap imported and illegally owned ones, the original Glock Switch is actually a real patented item dating all the way back to 1998 when Jorge A. Leon, the inventor of the Glock Switch, received the patent approval. Since the enactment of the 1986 Firearm Owners Protection Act, the manufacture of new civilian transferable machine guns was made illegal and as a result, the Glock Switch upon invention was never supposed to be an item that was found in the hands of your average gun owner anyway. So How exactly did they come to be so ubiquitous around 2019?

Social Media Craze

Like anything else out there, the Glock Switch has cheap, affordable, and abundant imitations. Around 2019 more and more social media footage of illegally converted full-auto glock pistols started to be posted. Many of these videos posted often seemed to feature firearms in the hands of children or being used in areas other than gun ranges. The ATF later recovered thousands of knock-off Glock Switches coming from China and often sold through online discount stores.

Since these companies don’t face any sort of financial or legal repercussions for shipping these illegal devices straight to your door, thousands of them wound up in the hands of irresponsible gun owners who in turn chose to install and operate these switches - typically on social media. After all, who can resist the chance to fire a full-auto Glock?

3D Printers also got in on the buzz plate craze and as a result the ATF also started chasing down not only Chinese-imported Glock Switches but 3D-printed ones as well. While the STL files for these devices are not illegal (you could in theory legally manufacture one if you owned the proper licenses), the ATF certainly still considers a printed Glock full-auto sear a machine gun.

The Legal Risks of Glock Switches

Let’s be real—owning or even possessing a Glock switch without the proper ATF approval is a fast track to serious legal trouble. These devices are classified as machine guns under federal law, meaning they fall under the National Firearms Act (NFA). If you’re caught with one, you’re looking at up to 10 years in federal prison and fines of up to $250,000. The ATF has been cracking down hard on these illegal devices, especially the ones flooding in from overseas or being 3D-printed at home. Bottom line? It’s not worth the risk. 

Full Auto Functionality?

As cool as a full-auto Glock sounds (because it is), a full-auto machine pistol without a stock isn’t exactly the most useful thing in any combat arena. Real-world experience and evidence show us that even stocked machine pistols like the Glock 18 have very poor accuracy and therefore we don’t see a lot of real-world use for these types of guns. That’s certainly why in the last couple of years, we’ve seen them mostly in the hands of people who aren’t military or law enforcement - they’re just fun to shoot. For the most part, full-auto fire is also mostly just for fun these days for most of us so I can see why these devices, illegal as they are right now, might take off in popularity especially when they are so affordable and easy to install on a commonly available handgun.

You can do so legally if you’ve never tried one out for yourself. A number of gun ranges that have the proper manufacturing licenses (typically a Class 2 SOT) will have these converted Glocks available to rent in all their full-auto glory. You’ll likely be babysat when you do it, but trust me, it’s not because they think you’re a bad shot - it's just that a full-auto Glock 19 or Glock 17 is a bit much to handle, even for experienced operators.

FAQs

How inaccurate is a Glock switch?

A Glock switch makes the firearm extremely difficult to control, leading to poor accuracy. Without a stock or stabilizer, rapid fire often results in missed shots.

Are Glock switches illegal?

Yes, Glock switches are classified as machine guns under the ATF's definition. They are illegal to own or use without proper ATF approval and licensing.

How does a Glock switch work?

A Glock switch replaces the rear cover plate and forces the trigger bar to bypass the semi-auto mechanism, enabling full-auto fire with a single trigger pull.

What does a Glock switch look like?

It’s a small device, often the size of a thumb, that replaces the Glock’s rear slide cover plate. Some versions include a selector switch to toggle between semi and full-auto modes.

How to legally own a Glock switch?

To legally own one, you must obtain proper licensing from the ATF, such as a Class 3 license, and the firearm must have been registered as a transferable machine gun before 1986.