Toronto police have seized more devices that illegally transform semi-automatic handguns into fully automatic machine guns this year than ever before, according to new data shared with CBC News.
A Toronto Police Service spokesperson said the agency has seized 109 firearm auto switches — also known as auto sears — so far this year, compared to 29 in all of 2023 and 32 in 2022.
The small metal or plastic device, roughly the size of a quarter, allows a firearm to shoot “900 to 1,200 rounds a minute,” said Toronto police senior firearm officer Matthew Passmore.
