Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison filed a lawsuit Tuesday in King County Superior Court against gun manufacturer Glock, Inc., its Austrian parent company Glock GES.m.b.H., and three local retailers, alleging the company knowingly produces handguns that can be easily converted into illegal machine guns.
The complaint also names Pantel Tactical, Bulls Eye Indoor Range, LLC, and Rainier Arms, LLC — three Glock-authorized gun dealers in the Seattle area.
At the center of the lawsuit is the “Glock switch,” a small device that can alter a semi-automatic Glock pistol so it fires continuously with a single trigger pull.
According to the suit, the company’s design allows this conversion more easily than other handgun brands.
Once converted, a Glock can discharge 30 rounds in about two seconds, equating to hundreds of rounds per minute.
“The Glock switch puts the public at risk, it puts children and families at risk, and it puts our law enforcement personnel and first responders at risk,” Davison said. “Glock knowingly manufactures a gun that can be converted into an automatic weapon. I will hold corporations putting public safety at risk as accountable as the criminals who violate our state and city laws.”
Davison’s office is asking the court to order Glock to modify its handguns so they cannot be converted with the switch.
She also argued the company chooses profit over safety while competitors have adopted different standards that prevent similar conversions.
“Unlike its competitors, who choose to use different, safer standards, Glock chooses to prioritize profits over public safety,” Davison said. “I’m bringing this litigation because of the massive increase in gun violence caused by converted Glocks. By using this civil remedy – and continuing to use criminal prosecution community-wide – we will fight gun violence both upstream and downstream.”
The city attorney cited a rise in gun violence involving Glock switches.
Seattle Police data shows the number of shell casings collected at crime scenes nearly doubled in recent years — from 2,514 in 2020 to 5,746 in 2023.
Police also began tracking Glock switches separately, finding them in at least 20 incidents in 2023 and 38 incidents in 2024.
One of the most devastating examples came in May, when three people were killed in Pioneer Square in a shooting investigators believe involved converted Glock firearms.
©2025 Cox Media Group
