LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Federal agents are intensifying efforts to crack down on machine gun conversion devices and privately made firearms flooding Las Vegas streets, citing a dramatic surge in seizures and growing concerns about public safety.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is targeting two primary threats: ghost guns — privately made firearms without serial numbers — and machine gun conversion devices, commonly known as “switches,” that can convert standard handguns into fully automatic weapons.
Ghost guns and the ease of assembly
Ghost guns are easily downloadable through the internet, according to an ATF firearms specialist. “So a person who is not authorized to own a firearm can print these off and assemble the components,” the specialist said.
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The weapons can lack serial numbers and can be purchased and shipped without background checks or identification requirements. “At the time when these were being manufactured — anyone can buy them without having an approved driver’s license or ID. They could be sold online or through the mail and sent directly to your home,” the specialist said.
Since 2023, ATF’s Las Vegas field office has recovered 91 ghost guns.
Machine gun conversion devices pose escalating threat
The more pressing concern for federal agents is the rapid increase of machine gun conversion devices. These small devices can fire up to 900 rounds per minute and convert standard weapons into fully automatic firearms, according to the ATF.
“The device inside is a machine gun conversion device — which replicates machine gun fire or converts the weapon into a machine gun. This part is designed to use and convert into a machine gun itself,” an ATF firearms specialist said.
This ATF firearms specialist with 20 years of military experience expressed alarm about the devices. “I have a difficult time understanding why someone would want one of these things I served in the military for 20 years. I’ve used these machine guns in combat I don’t see why someone would desire these devices,” the specialist said.
Loss of control and community danger
Alex Buenaventura, assistant special agent in charge for the ATF’s San Francisco Division overseeing Nevada, emphasized the public safety risk. “It’s scary because of the damage it can do. It’s made to create a big impact in a minimal amount of time increased damage and we can have many victims unintended victims as well,” Buenaventura said.
The danger is compounded by the lack of skill required to operate the devices. “You don’t need a lot of firearms proficiency in order to use these so that’s scary for community safety,” Buenaventura said.
Another gun instructor explained the control issues when firing in fully automatic mode. “When we are talking full auto the ability to control where each round goes becomes more and more difficult,” the instructor said.
“When we hear these stories of a particular individual shooting at another individual and some innocent person got hit now you see why. We aren’t controlling where the round is going,” the instructor said.
Seizures spike dramatically
The numbers reveal the accelerating problem. In fiscal year 2025, ATF’s Las Vegas field office seized 15 machine gun conversion devices. This year, agents have already recovered 75.
Since 2023, the Las Vegas field office has seized more than 230 of these devices combined.
Joshua Dobson, assistant special agent in charge for ATF Las Vegas, described a recent enforcement action. “Just last week we did a search warrant and there were five 3D printers actively running printing machine gun conversion devices,” Dobson said.
“It was almost like a 3D printing farm,” Dobson said.
When asked how concerning the discovery was, Dobson responded: “Oh, very concerning considering you can print multiple devices off one printer and have five going at the same time. Just the devastation that could bring to the community if they were to hit the streets.”
The ATF said the 3D printing bust is still an ongoing case and is going through the federal legal process.
Las Vegas as a trafficking hub
ATF agents tell FOX5 Las Vegas is known as a source area for firearms and illegal weapons.
Dobson attributed the problem partly to geography. “When you can produce machine gun conversion devices and bring them across state lines to California for monetary gain that’s why Las Vegas is the center of a lot of all this,” Dobson said.
“It’s hard to track since they are illicitly made,” Buenaventura said.
Social media is also facilitating illegal transactions, according to Buenaventura.
ATF adapting strategy
When asked how the ATF is able to keep up with advancing technology, Buenaventura said: “We’ve got to adapt but we don’t have a choice. We have to keep up.”
Possessing a machine gun conversion device is a federal crime. Conviction can result in up to 10 years in prison.
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