Baltimore officials have filed a lawsuit against firearms manufacturer Glock, demanding that the Austrian-owned company do more to prevent its weapons from being turned into machine guns. The effort targets Glock for selling semiautomatic pistols to Maryland civilians that can easily be converted into illegal weapons with an auto sear — a small device more commonly known as a

A lawsuit alleges Glock makes and sells guns that are easily turned into illegal machine guns, the state of Maryland and the city of Baltimore announced Wednesday morning. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown,

The auto sear, or “Glock switch,” converts a handgun into a weapon that fires 120 rounds a minute. The lawsuit wants Glock to reject such a capabiliity.

The Maryland Attorney General and mayor of Baltimore City filed a lawsuit against Glock, Inc. for continuing to sell handguns that can be converted into machine guns.

The lawsuit filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court is intended to help reduce gun violence on the streets, and is the first test of Maryland's Gun Industry Accountability Act adopted last year. Authorities said owners of Glock semiautomatic pistols can easily install "auto sears,