The people who opened fire in a mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama , late Saturday are suspected of using “conversion devices” in carrying out the attack, and over 100 shell casings were collected at the scene, according to a preliminary investigation from police.
The shooting, which left four dead and 17 injured, is just the latest spurt of mass violence made possible by the small part known as a “conversion device,” “Glock switch” or “auto sear.”
Whatever the term, the devices have the power to transform a handgun into a fully automatic firearm. And they have spread rapidly through the US in recent years, upping casualty counts and adding a new concern for the public and law enforcement…