MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee police are warning about a disturbing trend that’s making firearms more dangerous in Milwaukee. The department says a record number of guns modified into automatic firearms were recovered last year.
Eight pieces of metal were recovered by Milwaukee police last week during a search warrant. They may not look dangerous, but what they do to a gun is frightening.
“The amount of automatic weapons fired in our city that has never happened before is frankly very concerning,” said Milwaukee Police Captain James Hutchinson.
Captain Hutchinson says illegal devices the size of a lego called ‘auto sears’ can turn handguns, pistols and AR-15s into fully automatic machine guns.
“That situation where a person pulls a trigger once and essentially can eject every round through that handgun or rifle creates a very dangerous environment; whereas in the past, if someone were to shoot a gun once, twice, they’d have to pull the trigger each time,” Captain Hutchinson said.
MPD data shows 65 guns equipped with auto sears were recovered in 2022. That’s nearly twice as many as the year before and far more than the 13 found in 2020.
“What does that say about the proliferation this tiny tool that’s used to convert these guns?” TMJ4 reporter Ben Jordan asked.
“They’re out there,” Captain Hutchinson replied.
Captain Hutchinson says criminals are making the illegal devices by using 3D prints or they’re buying them from overseas online.
A federal case from last year gives a glimpse into the problem in Milwaukee. A criminal complaint shows federal agents intercepted two FedEx packages loaded with auto sears from China en route to a home on N. 25th Street.
Court records say the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives known as the ATF found three prior shipments to the same address weren’t caught in time.
A 23-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested. He told federal agents, “Everyone who is in the streets of Milwaukee is looking to purchase Glock auto-sears to install on their firearms.”
“It is definitely a huge public safety concern,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Will Panoke.
Special Agent Panoke oversees ATF investigations in the Milwaukee area. He told TMJ4 last fall that gun owners need to know these devices are illegal and being caught with one can land you in federal prison for up to a decade.
“That one single piece, which is by definition under Federal law, a machine gun in itself, just that one single piece,” Special Agent Panoke said in September.
Special Agent Panoke says federal agents partner with police each day in Milwaukee to investigate these types of crimes to take the most dangerous illegal guns off the streets.
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