Philly sues Glock, saying manufacturer contributed to gun-violence crisis

Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit against firearms manufacturer Glock Inc. alleging that the company has contributed to gun violence in the city through deceptive marketing practices that target young people.

Announced Friday, the lawsuit claims Glock promotes the use of “switches,” small devices also known as auto sears that are used to illegally convert the company’s widely available semiautomatic handguns into fully automatic machine guns. Once installed, the devices enable a handgun to fire a continuous string of bullets in a single pull of a trigger.

In its complaint, the city says Glock, through social media and other outlets, markets automatic firearms to people who cannot legally possess them, creating confusion as to the legality of switches. While the lawsuit acknowledges that Glock itself does not sell the devices, it accuses the company of failing to warn consumers of their risks.

“Rather than alerting consumers to the danger and illegality of switches, Glock has capitalized on their popularity by intentionally advertising the use of modified, fully automatic Glock handguns,” City Solicitor Renee Garcia said in a statement.

Such marketing, the city says, often targets young people, and has endangered Philadelphia residents. It is seeking an order preventing Glock from continuing those marketing practices, as well as imposing civil penalties and unspecified compensatory relief to create an abatement fund that would address the impacts of gun violence in Philadelphia.

Representatives for Glock Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shootings in Philadelphia spiked sharply during the COVID pandemic, and Philadelphia recorded an all-time high of homicides — 562 — in 2021. The number of shootings and homicides in the city has been declining since 2023, with 222 people killed in all of 2025 — the lowest number recorded since 1966. And last year, there were 935 shooting victims, fewer than 2021’s high of 2,325.

On July 4 last year, a shooting in the city’s Grays Ferry section left three people dead and nine others wounded. During that incident, the city says in its lawsuit, a handgun equipped with a switch was used, enabling the rapid, indiscriminate firing of bullets.

“Outrageously, Glock has encouraged these modifications by portraying them as a somehow ‘fun’ and exciting use of their product, rather than as an illegal and dangerous practice,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement. “Glock’s advertisements are not only irresponsible, they also violate Pennsylvania consumer protection law.”

Philadelphia’s lawsuit is not the first legal action taken locally against the company in recent years.

In December 2024, New Jersey launched its own lawsuit against Glock claiming its firearms were too easily converted into illegal machine guns. A Superior Court judge in October declined to dismiss that lawsuit, and the case remains ongoing.

Also in 2024, Philadelphia passed legislation banning “rate-of-fire acceleration devices,” including switches. The devices are also illegal under federal law.

Delaware County passed similar legislation in April. A coalition of district attorneys from around Pennsylvania have also recently urged Gov. Josh Shapiro and other state lawmakers to ban switches statewide.

“My administration is committed to taking action to tackle this ongoing crisis, and I’m proud of this lawsuit which aims to stop machine guns from being advertised and brought into our communities where they are used to cause mass destruction,” Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said in a statement. “Glock has prioritized profit over the safety of its users and the general public, and it’s time for them to be held accountable under the law for the damage the products they advertise do to human lives.”