Kennett man sentenced to 2 years after pleading guilty to machine gun charge

(KBSI) – A Kennett man was sentenced to two years in federal prison for selling a device that can convert a Glock pistol into a machine gun.

U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. sentenced Cole Johnathan Campbell, 22, on Wednesday

On Oct. 12, 2022, Campbell sold an auto sear, also known as a “Glock switch,” to a confidential informant working for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The auto sear converts a semi-automatic Glock pistol into a fully automatic firearm. Glock switches alone, even if not attached to a firearm, are defined as a machine gun under federal law.

Campbell said he had removed the device from his own gun, knew it worked and had a video of it in operation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri. He also offered to sell more of the devices, his plea agreement says.

Campbell pleaded guilty in March to one felony count of unlawfully transferring a machine gun.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.