Media Coverage
Source: Law360
Media Coverage
Press Contacts: Erik Cummins, Matt Hyams, Taina Rosa, Olivia Meyer
10.17.25
A New Jersey state judge declined to dismiss the suit brought by the state's attorney general, represented by a team from Pillsbury, seeking to hold Glock Inc. and its Austrian parent liable for the widespread gun violence caused by the known conversion of its handguns into illegal machine guns, Law360 reported.
The lawsuit against Glock, which New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin filed in December, seeks to end these machine gun conversions of Glock handguns. A Pillsbury group led by partners Ken Taber and Christopher C. Caffarone, counsel Michael Borofsky, and associates Thomas L. Howard III, Nicole Steinberg, and Lindsey Mitchell, serve as Special Counsel in the case to the New Jersey Attorney General and New Jersey’s Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement Office (SAFE).
Along with similar suits brought by the state of Minnesota, the City of Chicago, and the City of Philadelphia, these suits allege Glock knew its namesake pistols could easily be configured into illegal machine guns through the addition of a cheap aftermarket device called a "Glock switch" or an "auto sear."
New Jersey has demanded that Glock suspend sales of the switchable guns to the public through its network of New Jersey dealers and seeks restitution for the public harm it has already caused.
The switch is typically made of plastic, about the size of a Lego piece, and can be purchased for less than $20 or made with a 3D printer, according to the suit. Glock handguns are designed in a manner so that they can easily be converted into machine guns through the use of such a piece, the State alleges. The piece is easily fitted into the backplate of a Glock handgun, allowing it to fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute.
The Pillsbury team is working alongside NJ Assistant Attorney General David Leit, Deputy Attorneys General Jonathan Mangel, and Giancarlo Piccinini, and Honors Law Clerk Andrea Cavazos, from the Division of Law’s Special Litigation Section.
Click here to read the full story (subscription required).