We have tried to do an exhaustive search on cases where a Glock-style gun with a switch was used to murder people, but it is quite possible that we have missed some cases. The total that we have so far found is 43 murders from 20 attacks where someone was murdered, so slightly more than two people murdered per case. Part of the reason for their infrequent use is the danger that these devices pose to those who are using them. California and now Maryland and Connecticut have passed bans on Glocks or Glock-style guns because they use cruciform trigger bars. New York will soon finish enacting this ban. New Jersey is in the process of putting a registry together on people who have bought those guns since the beginning of 2016. There is no evidence that law-abiding gun owners are converting their handguns, and even the advocates for these laws focus on only the threat by criminal gangs. The NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation have brought lawsuits against these gun bans.
The question is also how many of these murders would still have occurred even without a switch being used on these guns. More than half of these cases involve just one or two people being murdered so it is quite possible these attacks could have been accomplished with an unaltered handgun. Obviously, any murder should be prevented, but as a comparison, over the 2021 to 2024 period there were 80,657 murders (20,164 per year). Of those, 6,147 used knives or other cutting instruments and 1,968 involved rifles. So that means that over the five plus years from 2021 to May 2026, only the equivalent of 0.67% of the murders with knives and other cutting instruments over the four years from 2021 to 2024 involved Glock switches. Only an amount of 2.08% compared to murders with rifles. And only 0.051% of all murders.
By comparison, the National Weather Service confirmed 81 fatal lightning strikes since the start of 2021. The NWS also confirmed 40 fatal lightning strikes in 2016 alone. . . .
Indeed, given how difficult it is to aim and control the handgun with a switch on it, it is even possible that more deaths would have occurred without the switch as it would have been easier to aim the gun.
Note: Some sources reported the following cases as involving Glock switches, but we could not independently verify that the devices were used in the incidents.
Bradenton, Florida, January 1, 2026 (ABC7 WWSB) A 36-year-old man who died in a New Year’s Day shooting was killed in an act of self-defense after he confronted a couple outside their home, investigators said. The State Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and...
Dr. John Lott appeared on Rebel News Podcast to discuss his new op-ed with Canadian Professor Gary Mauser on the high violent crime rate in Canada, which explains the research that we recently posted. (Tuesday, June 23, 2026)
Dr. John Lott has a new op-ed at Real Clear Politics. . Imagine a woman driving across state lines alone at night, fearful that her car might break down and leave her vulnerable. Or picture a truck driver hauling valuable cargo across the country. In states such as...
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