(Cedar Rapids, IA) -- A man who illegally possessed a 3D printed Glock switch designed to convert a handgun into an automatic weapon has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. Twenty-year-old Jose Morales-Ramirez of Marshalltown received the prison term after pleading guilty in January to illegal possession of a machine gun.
Police were called to Morales-Ramirez’s residence after reports about possible gun shots. During a search, police located a Glock conversion device designed and intended solely and exclusively for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun. The Glock conversion device, also known as a Glock switch, had been printed on a 3D printer.
Morales-Ramirez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Morales-Ramirez was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Tama, Iowa, Police Department.