We lost a leader
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Najeer Lane was a devoted big brother. Allentown lost a leader and a world of potential in Najeer Lane.
His mother, Shalon Buskirk, remembers Najeer leading an impromptu Friendsgiving dance party around the dining room table, with everyone joining in.
Najeer was ambushed by people he knew in 2022. He was shot while in a car, escaping, they continued firing at him using a pistol fitted with a machine gun converter. Najeer sustained fatal internal injuries.
The gun used in his killing was described in detail at the trial of his murderer. It was fitted with a machine gun conversion device. The size of a large sugar cube, made of metal or plastic, sometimes 3D printed, it takes 30 seconds to fit many handguns. For around $20, a switch, sometimes called an auto sear, converts a single-firing handgun into an automatic weapon capable of spraying 1,200 rounds in a minute, more than some military weapons.
Police and the ATF in Philadelphia are seeing a fivefold increase in switch confiscations from 2021 to 2024.
While illegal at the federal level, only the ATF can prosecute this crime, and they are already stretched thin. We must empower local law enforcement with a state-level prohibition so they can take action to remove these dangerous devices from circulation in our communities.
Shalon’s only wish is that we call for these devices to be made illegal in Pennsylvania so local law enforcement can make our communities safer and save more families from experiencing what she has been through.
Sources:
- CeaseFirePA Machine Gun Conversion Devices factsheet
- ATF officers in Philadelphia say they’re seeing more switches to make guns fully automatic: “Keeps me up at night”
- Senator Tartaglione to Introduce Legislation Banning Machine Gun Conversion Devices Following Deadly Shootings
- Which states have laws prohibiting auto sears/Glock switches?