COOK COUNTY STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE HOSTS FIRST IN-PERSON NATIONAL PROSECUTORIAL SUMMIT ON COMBATING MACHINE GUN CONVERSION DEVICES
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Full day of programming includes live demonstrations of weapons; multidisciplinary panels on best courtroom strategies
CHICAGO — In partnership with the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) and the Joyce Foundation, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office will co-host the 2025 National Prosecutorial Summit on Combating Machine Gun Conversion Devices (MCDs) in Chicago on Friday, June 27. The free event, put on in collaboration with the Chicago Police Department, brings together prosecutors, law enforcement, and criminal justice experts from across the country for a full day of educational programming around best practices and innovative strategies to curb the proliferation of these deadly illegal weapons.
MCDs are small, plastic components that attach to a semi-automatic handgun and enable it to fire dozens of rounds rapidly, without additional trigger pulls. Often created with 3D printers or purchased online, MCDs maximize damage perpetuated by gun violence and have been increasingly used in shootings nationwide. The number of MCDs recovered by law enforcement in the U.S. surged by more than 500 percent between 2017 and 2021, according to the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
On her first day in office, Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke enacted stringent detention policies to protect the public from these dangerous automatic weapons. As such, prosecutors now seek pretrial detention for offenders charged with possessing or using MCDs (also known as switches), ghost guns, drums and extended magazines. Prosecutors now also petition for prison time whenever a conviction in one of these cases is secured.
“MCDs pose a grave threat to our communities, and they are way too easy to acquire,” State’s Attorney Burke said. “While their spiking use is alarming, I am encouraged to see collaboration among different prosecutors' offices, police departments, and researchers to tackle this important public safety issue and look forward to what I know will be a valuable day of learning at the 2025 MCD Summit here in Chicago.”
State’s Attorney Burke will offer welcome remarks and serve on a multidisciplinary panel at the MCD Summit. Other speakers include Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling and Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti; Ronald DeWald, Counsel to the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; CCSAO Assistant State’s Attorney Mauren McCurry, Chief of the Multi-Jurisdiction Bureau, which includes CCSAO’s Gun Crimes Strategies Unit; and University of Chicago economist and Crime Lab director Jens Ludwig. Prosecutorial leaders including East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore and Marion County, Indiana Prosecutor Ryan Mears will also be speaking on prosecutorial and legislative strategies. The packed summit agenda will feature a live demonstration of MCDs and presentations and discussions on MCD lethality; model law enforcement and prosecutorial practices; cross-jurisdictional collaborations; legislative initiatives; innovative strategies to prevent 3D printing of MCDs; and civil litigation. The full agenda can be viewed HERE.
Those interested in attending can register for the 2025 Machine Gun Conversion Device Summit HERE.
The APA and the Joyce Foundation hosted its first summit on MCDs in 2024 – a virtual event. The Chicago Summit will be the first time it is held in person and will take place at the City of Chicago’s Public Safety Training Center.