READING, Pa. – In a letter sent to Gov. Josh Shapiro and state lawmakers, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association outlined what they call a “wish list” of legislative changes.
One major focus is banning machine-gun conversion devices.
Berks County District Attorney John Adams says the devices, often called “switches,” can turn a handgun into a machine gun.
“We need to have a state-level ban on what are called ‘switches.’ And switches is a device that is put on a handgun, specifically a Glock, and it turns that handgun into a machine gun,” Adams said.
Adams says the devices are already illegal at the federal level, but prosecutors need state-level enforcement power.
“We need the tools on the state level to be able to deter individuals from possessing these devices, as it is an extreme danger to the safety of our community,” Adams said.
The letter also calls for regulation of skill games.
“Any person of any age can gamble their life savings away,” Adams said. “They’re unregulated, they’re untaxed. And we believe that if skill games are permitted to be legal in Pennsylvania, that we need to enact some regulations and we need to tax the skill games.”
Adams said district attorneys are also asking lawmakers to regulate intoxicating hemp products sold in smoke shops, outlaw swatting as a felony, and update elder abuse protections.
“The problem that we are finding is that we cannot get legislative action to get the appropriate bills in front of the governor,” Adams said.
District attorneys say they want Harrisburg to act as soon as possible.