A small, plastic switch that can convert an ordinary semi-automatic handgun into a fully-automatic weapon capable of dispensing dozens of bullets in a single tug of the trigger. SoundThinking’s network of sensors provided the data for the piece: the company recorded 75,544 rounds of suspected automatic gunfire in 2022 in portions of 127 cities — a 49 percent increase from the year before.
Tom Chittum, Senior Vice President, Analytics and Forensic Services at SoundThinking provides insight into his former efforts with ATF to address the crisis.