United States Attorney to Co-Chair Justice Department’s New “ANTI-MCD” Committee, Targeting Machinegun Conversion Devices

OKLAHOMA CITY – U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester will Co-Chair a new Justice Department standing committee called Action Network to Terminate Illegal Machinegun Conversion Devices (“ANTI-MCD”). Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the creation of the ANTI-MCD Committee last Friday, which will include representatives of each of the Department’s law enforcement components (ATF, FBI, DEA, and U.S. Marshal’s Service), the Civil and Criminal Divisions, the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General.  U.S. Attorney Troester will Co-Chair with Tim Jones, Deputy Assistant Director of ATF. Deputy Attorney General Monaco’s full announcement can be found here. 

Machinegun conversion devices (MCDs), often referred to as “switches” or “auto sears,” convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic machineguns that fire multiple rounds by a single pull of the trigger. Making, selling, or possessing MCDs is illegal under federal law. The significant danger MCDs pose to our community and the proliferation of these illegal devices on our streets requires immediate and sustained attention.

The ANTI-MCD Committee will provide leadership and guidance for how to best deploy Department resources to reduce the proliferation of MCDs, work with interagency and external partners on initiatives and joint MCD prosecution and enforcement efforts, and ensure coordination among Department components and other stakeholders. The Committee will also propose additional initiatives and make recommendations to ODAG on all aspects of the Department’s efforts to address the proliferation of MCDs including research and data collection, policy updates, resource allocation, and coordination with our federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial prosecution and law enforcement partners.

“MCDs present a clear and immediate danger in our communities to both the public and law enforcement. We must combat this threat with an all-hands approach,” said U.S. Attorney Troester. “I am honored to Co-Chair the ANTI-MCD Committee that will bring together the expertise of our internal and external partners to address this nationwide threat.”

“MCDs are a significant public safety threat that continues to grow more pervasive each day,” said Timothy Jones, Deputy Assistant Director of Field Operations at ATF. “The creation of the ANTI-MCD Committee is a coordinated effort to enhance law enforcement efforts to hold offenders accountable and ultimately save lives. I am honored to bring ATF’s investigative and technical expertise to this initiative as Co-Chair of the Committee with U.S. Attorney Troester.”

In November 2023, the Western District of Oklahoma announced the creation of Project Switch Off, a local Project Safe Neighborhood initiative, to address the significant danger MCDs present and remove them from our streets. Federal prosecutors and ATF have trained nearly 750 law enforcement officers on MCDs. Between 2020 and 2022, the Western District charged eight individuals with MCD-related offenses, compared to 39 individuals prosecuted over the last year through Project Switch Off.