Baltimore judge denies Glock dismissal motion, letting Maryland lawsuit proceed

Chevall Pryce, Baltimore Sun on Mar 26, 2026

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BALTIMORE — Baltimore and Maryland can proceed to discovery in their lawsuit against Glock after a Baltimore Circuit Court judge denied the gunmaker’s motion to dismiss, moving the case into the evidence-gathering phase.

The mayor and City Council of Baltimore, alongside the state of Maryland, filed lawsuit against Glock and its Austrian parent company Glock GmbH in February 2025.

Baltimore and Maryland are being represented by Baltimore City Law Department and Maryland Office of the Attorney General as well as Everytown Law and Motley Rice LLC law firms.

Details of the case

The lawsuit alleges Glock should have done more to prevent its pistols from being modified with illegal auto sears, commonly known as “Glock switches,” which can convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons. It further claims the company has long been aware its handguns can be easily modified, putting Maryland residents at risk and contributing to public safety harms.

“Glock knew for years that these attachments allow their guns to easily be converted into semiautomatic weapons, yet they continued to put profit over safety,” Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement provided by Everytown Law. “In our city, we’ve seen the number of recoveries of Glock pistols modified into machine guns grow dramatically in recent years. We know firsthand the damage that has caused in our communities, and we will not rest until we hold them accountable.”

Switches are not manufactured or sold by Glock and are illegal to possess or sell in Maryland. The lawsuit cites incidents in which modified Glock pistols were used in violent crimes across the country.

Moving forward

The denial of Glock’s motion to dismiss the case means that the discovery process of the lawsuit can happen, where both parties can gather information about each other in order to make their case.

“This ruling brings us one step closer to holding Glock accountable for its role in the gun violence epidemic that is stealing lives from our communities and terrorizing our neighborhoods,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said. “The families who have lost children, parents, and siblings to this violence deserve justice. Our Office will not allow Glock to continue pursuing profits at the expense of the Maryland people.”

The lawsuit also claims Glock bears legal responsibility for switches and profits from sales of the easily modifiable firearms despite the lethality provided by the unofficial switch attachment. Glock is also accused of making almost no distinction between the automatic and semi-automatic versions of their pistols.

Glock did not respond to a request for comment.

According to a report from Everytown for Gun Safety, Glock pistols are preferred by criminals due to the guns’ easy modification with switches to shoot automatically.

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