Franklin man sentenced to 2 years in Federal Prison for 3-D Printing and Trafficking Firearms and Glock Switches
Alexander Clark, 28, of Franklin, Indiana, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to making a firearm in violation of the National Firearms Act, possession of an unregistered firearm, and possession of a machinegun. According to court documents, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began to investigate Alexander Clark based on occasions in which he sold privately made firearms. Over a one-month period, Clark was observed selling five Glock style pistols that were made with use of a 3-D printer for the frames, a 3-D printed AR-15 rifle lower receiver, and two machinegun conversion devices.
Machinegun conversion devices, sometimes called “Glock switches” or “auto-sears” are devices that convert ordinary semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic machineguns. Machinegun conversion devices are themselves considered machineguns under federal law, even when not installed, and are illegal to possess or sell in almost all cases.
On August 22., 2022, ATF agents searched Clark’s home and located multiple firearms, machineguns, silencers, firearm accessories, and a 3-D printer with other electronic devices in aid of 3-D printing.
In total, Clark possessed seven machine guns, 27 machine gun conversion devices and seven silencers, none of which were legally registered.
“Machine gun conversion devices are an urgent public safety challenge—an ordinary pistol equipped with a conversion device and an extended magazine can fire 31 rounds in just two seconds,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Criminals like this defendant exploit modern technology to illegally manufacture deadly weapons and illegally arm others, including felons and juveniles. The serious federal prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that our office is committed to making our communities safer by getting these devices off our streets and holding illegal gun traffickers accountable.”
Bloomington’s Mayor Thomson launches review of previous administration projects and current work
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson announced a series of internal reviews that will shape her administration and its approach to governing in the years to come.
“As Mayor, I am committed to bringing people together and engaging them in their government,” said Thomson, who took office earlier this week. “And to do that, we all need a full and complete understanding of where things stand. In these first few weeks of my new administration, my team and I will take a deep dive in many areas, report our findings and work to create greater efficiency and transparency throughout city hall.”
- Independent audit of City finances: Working under the direction of City Controller Jessica McClellan, the City will hire an outside accounting firm to conduct an independent review of the City’s finances and spending in the first 100 days of the Thomson administration. Once complete, the report will be shared with the public.
- Review of City legal cases: Mayor Thomson has charged Corporation Counsel Margie Rice with leading a City-wide review of all of the City’s ongoing litigation. Rice and her team will review all cases, the value to taxpayers and make recommendations to Thomson on whether the City should continue with the litigation.
- Analysis of constituent response times: With an eye on improving response times, Thomson announced an internal review of Bloomington’s “uReport” system, which allows citizens to report a wide variety of issues to the City. Led by Deputy Mayor Gretchen Knapp, it will include analysis of response times by department and by type of request along with recommendations for improving the program and sharing response time information directly with the public.
- Working Groups for Hopewell and Showers West Projects: Given the complexities of the both the Hopewell and Showers West projects, Thomson announced her intention to form separate working groups made up of Bloomington residents for the Hopewell and Showers West projects. The goal of each is to provide a fresh perspective and independent review of the projects and advise her on next steps. Appointments to both groups will be made in the coming weeks.
Attorney General Todd Rokita co-leads 27 states in support of Donald Trump’s appeal to US Supreme Court
Attorney General Todd Rokita and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey are leading a 27-state brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of former President Donald Trump’s right to appear on the Colorado ballot in 2024. The brief asserts that the Constitution gives Congress, not courts, authority to decide who is eligible to run for federal office under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment.
“American voters choose the President, not a partisan court in Colorado,” Attorney General Rokita said. “This is an obvious attempt to confuse and disenfranchise millions of voters wanting to cast their ballots for former President Donald Trump.”
The brief asserts the state court’s decision to declare former President Trump an insurrectionist has vast consequences that reach far beyond Colorado and will create widespread chaos just weeks before an election cycle. Given that reality, the brief argues, the U.S. Supreme Court should immediately intervene.
“Trust in the integrity of our elections is essential to a free republic,” Attorney General Rokita said. “If activist judges in Colorado can dilute the voices of ordinary voters in states like Indiana, all confidence in our election process will be lost.”
For elections to be fair, voters need a single, certain answer as to whether former President Trump is eligible to run for president under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, Rokita added in his press release.
This Week in Hoosier History
1973 – Glenn Robinson, Big Ten Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, Indiana Mr. Basketball, American NBA Forward (Milwaukee Bucks , Olympic gold 1996), born in Gary, Indiana.
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