The US Attorney's Office in the District of Massachusetts has seized more than 350 internet domains allegedly used by Chinese outfits to sell US residents kits that convert semiautomatic pistols into fully automatic guns – and silence them as they fire.
The prosecutors stated that possession of the silencers and the conversion devices – called "switches" – and their importation from certain countries, including China, are prohibited under the National Firearms Act (NFA).
Authorities began targeting the operations in August last year – sometimes using undercover operatives to purchase and receive the contraband devices to confirm their authenticity.
Many of the orders were taken over chat apps WhatsApp or Telegram. The items were then shipped to the United States falsely labeled as necklaces, toys, or other innocuous items.
Some were found to be counterfeits. For example, switches labeled as "Glock" when the Austrian gun manufacturer doesn't even make such devices.
A subpoena to GoDaddy ordering the release of domain subscriber information revealed that several of the domains were purchased by the same entity.
Definitely not made in Austria – click to enlarge
Michael J Krol, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, commented that his organization's cyber investigations "work to keep illegal switches and silencers out of the hands of criminals who use them to commit violence and facilitate crime."
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So far, investigations have resulted in the seizure of over 700 devices that would convert a semi-automatic firearm into an automatic, 87 illegal suppressors, 59 handguns, and 36 long guns, in addition to the websites used to traffic the items.
The websites now notify visitors that the domains have been seized.
Criminals have of late been exploiting modern tech to convert regular handguns into machine guns. The US Department of Justice urged the 3D printing industry to take action against DIY machine gun conversion devices, or switches. ®