An 18-year-old switch dealer from Texas has entered a guilty plea for possession of a machinegun, following an alarming incident where he discharged a weapon out of a moving vehicle. Juan Angel Rendon’s plea was announced by Leigha Simonton, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Rendon, who came under federal scrutiny through “Operation Texas Kill Switch,” now faces a potential 10-year stint in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The case against Rendon was buttressed by his own social media activity, as agents found evidence of him advertising and demonstrating the illegal firearms. Notably, a video from Rendon’s Instagram account was used as evidence, where he was seen firing from the car. The video displayed a hazardous disconnection from the lethal potential of the arms Rendon frivolously brandished— igniting outrage and urgent response from authorities. In their crackdown, officials recovered nine firearms, some equipped with switches, and several parts during his arrest in September.
Rendon’s case spotlights the ongoing threat posed by machinegun conversion devices, known colloquially as “switches.” These devices illegally modify semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons. A conviction as such pulls back the curtain on illicit firearm modification and trafficking, shining light on the shadowy corners of the black market that not only thrives at society’s fringes but ventures dangerously close to the heart of community safety…