Chicago sues Glock, blaming gun manufacturer for increase of illegal machine guns

CHICAGO - The city of Chicago filed a lawsuit against Glock, blaming the popular gun manufacturer for a rapid increase in illegal machine guns on the streets.

Mayor Brandon Johnson's office says the "first-of-its-kind lawsuit," filed Tuesday morning in Cook County Circuit Court, cites Illinois’ new Firearms Industry Responsibility Act, passed and signed into law in 2023. 

The law was created to hold gun companies accountable for conduct that endangers the public.

The lawsuit claims Glock is "unreasonably" putting Chicagoans in danger by manufacturing and selling guns that can easily be converted into illegal machine guns with a cheap device known as a "Glock switch." 

"The City of Chicago is encountering a deadly new frontier in the gun violence plaguing our communities because of the increase of fully automatic Glocks on our streets," said Mayor Johnson, a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. "Selling firearms that can so easily be converted into automatic weapons makes heinous acts even more deadly, so we are doing everything we can in collaboration with others committed to ending gun violence to hold Glock accountable for putting profits over public safety." 

According to the complaint, the Glock switches are the size of a quarter and are easily purchased illegally online for around $20 or manufactured at home using a 3D printer.

The lawsuit also details several incidents in which fully automatic Glocks have been recovered in connection to violent crimes. 

The city of Chicago claims Glock is "aiding and abetting" the violation of federal and state law prohibiting the possession of machine guns, and calls the manufacturer negligent. 

The lawsuit was filed by the City of Chicago Law Department along with Everytown Law and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP. 

The full complaint is included below: