WASHINGTON – A 27-year-old Waldorf resident was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to 21 months in federal prison for possessing 35 illegal machine gun conversion devices inside the District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced.
Edward Devon Gadson pleaded guilty July 11 to unlawful transfer and possession of a machine gun and aiding and abetting. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta also ordered three years of supervised release following the prison term.
The devices, commonly called “switches” or Glock switches, convert semiautomatic handguns into fully automatic machine guns capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute. Federal law classifies any firearm that shoots more than one round per trigger pull as a machine gun, requiring special licensing and taxation that almost no civilians obtain.
Metropolitan Police Department officers stopped Gadson around 5 p.m. on October 2, 2024, while he sat in the driver’s seat of a Dodge Durango with heavily tinted windows on the 2300 block of Green Street SE in Anacostia. During the stop, officers saw a clear plastic bag in plain view on the rear passenger floorboard containing what appeared to be firearms parts.
Officers recovered the bag and found 35 3-D-printed conversion devices inside. Many bore images of an internet meme known as “Not ATF Guy,” a cartoon figure often associated with online firearm modification communities.
Each switch can be installed in seconds on certain Glock-pattern pistols and similar handguns. Once attached, the weapon fires automatically until the trigger is released or the magazine is empty.
ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony A. Spotswood of the Washington Field Division and MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith joined Pirro in announcing the sentence.
The case was investigated jointly by MPD and the ATF Washington Field Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John D. Crabb and Thomas Strong.
Machine gun conversion devices have surged in the Washington region in recent years, often manufactured on consumer 3-D printers or purchased online. MPD and ATF have seized hundreds of switches in the District during 2024 and 2025, many linked to violent crime scenes where fully automatic fire was used.
Possessing an unregistered machine gun carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The 21-month sentence reflects credit for Gadson’s guilty plea and acceptance of responsibility under federal sentencing guidelines.