Glocks are the most popular handguns in the country. They're preferred by law enforcement, and a lot of people expected them to beat out the Sig P320 to become the new military sidearm. That didn't happen, but they're all over the place.
However, a lot of states are trying to ban them, including Connecticut, and not because of anything Glock has done.
Oh no, you see, the problem isn't that Glock did anything wrong, but that a third party developed something, different third parties make and/or sell them, and so Glock is somehow responsible for all of that.
I'm talking about the so-called Glock switch, or auto sear, full-auto switch, or whatever you want to call it.
And the House in Connecticut just passed a bill that would ban these popular handguns.
A controversial gun bill has passed the House.
It includes a ban on a pistol that can be converted to fire more than 1,000 rounds per minute, converting it into a fully automatic weapon.
However, some people argue most gun owners are not using it that way.
The pistol is a Glock.
It is not the gun itself that is the problem. It is a small switch that when installed can turn the gun into a fully automatic weapon.
Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Judiciary Committee chair, wants to ban the sale of the Glock style switches. They are going after the manufacturer to change the design so these switches cannot be used.
“We in Connecticut have shown over the last 15 years that we have been smart on crime, tough on guns. What that has done has cut our prison population in half, and also cut violent crime rate in half,” Stafstrom said.
This would only affect the sale of new guns starting Oct. 1. Anyone who already has one would be grandfathered in and allowed to keep it.
California already has a ban in place, while states like Maryland and Illinois are, like Connecticut, trying to do so themselves.
But again, Glock didn't do anything wrong. Anti-gunners allege that Glock is responsible because they didn't modify their proven design so it wouldn't take a device they never intended to be used in the first place.
When the heat started, Glock tried. They introduced the V series of guns, which were supposed to be impossible to modify to take an auto sear.
That lasted about five seconds.
Of course, it helps to understand that it's really not about Glocks. It's about trying to find ways to limit gun sales as much as possible, in a manner that won't get struck down by the Supreme Court, which seems resistant to simply asking these state and local governments what the heck "shall not be infringed" is supposed to mean if all manner of infringements are supposed to be acceptable.
This is bad news for folks in Connecticut, even if the existing guns are grandfathered in.
I mean, Rhode Island grandfathered in so-called assault weapons within a bill that banned them going forward just last year. This year, they're trying to ban even those.
Grandfather clauses just mean you get to keep them for now, and don't think Connecticut is above doing the same thing.