FRANKFORT, Ky. —

The Department of Justice calls them an emerging threat — machine gun conversion devices.

Commonly called "switches" or "auto sears," it's a little piece of either metal or plastic, and it's smaller than the size of a coin, according to LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey.

It can turn a semi-automatic into a fully automatic gun in less than 60 seconds.

Humphrey testified in Frankfort on Thursday, alongside Rep. Jason Nemes of Louisville, advocating for a state law to make these devices illegal.

"We're talking about something that actually makes the weapon far less accurate and far more dangerous to everyone around, and this is a problem that has increased steadily over the past couple of years," Humphrey said.

In 2023, 31 machine gun conversion devices were seized in Jefferson

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