One Pennsylvania municipality’s council leaders have taken gun safety into their own hands.
City of York council members in south central Pennsylvania, which is home to about 40,000 people and the York County Seat, voted 4-1 Tuesday night to ban machine gun converters such as Glock switches, bump stocks, multi-burst trigger activators and other accessories designed to “accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic weapon” within its boundaries.
“We have witnessed the devastating consequences of these types of devices, and the loss of life is nothing short of heartbreaking,” said York City Council President Edquina Washington in a post meeting press release.
Council President Washington was joined by Vice President Betsy Buckingham and Members Teresa Johnescu and Elizabeth Bupp to approve the ordinance ban. York Council Member Felicia Dennis cast the lone no vote. All five members on the City of York Council are Democrats.
Local 21 News.com reported the amended Article 702 Rapid Fire Amendment would now move to Mayor Michael Helfrich’s desk for signature.
A video recording of the meeting may be found here.
Inexpensive and easily obtained, these rapid firing accessory devices can transform a handgun into a machine gun capable of launching up to 800 rounds of ammunition per minute, according to CeaseFirePA.
“The safety and well-being of our residents is, and always will be, our highest priority. That is why drafting this legislation was not just necessary, but urgent. It was designed with one clear goal: to protect every member of our community, as well as the countless visitors who pass through our neighborhoods each day,” Washington said.
She emphasizes the tragic shootings are not statistics.
“They are loved ones, neighbors, and friends whose absence leaves a permanent void. We cannot and will not stand by while preventable harm continues. This legislation is a decisive step toward ending that cycle.”
Adam Garber, executive director of CeaseFirePA, spoke in favor of the legislation.
“Machine gun converters do not keep your family safe. They do not keep your community safe. They do one thing: multiply carnage,” Garber said.
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On June 14, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a ban on bump stock and other accessory devices in the Garland v. Cargill 6-3 decision, according to Everytown.org, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the nation.
The decision “legalized” these hybrid weapons on America’s streets and left decisions over how to regulate them in the hands of state and local authorities.
York joins Philadelphia, which won a challenge to its ban in Commonwealth Court and subsequently lost a bid to further regulate firearms in November 2024, WHYY.org reported.
In January, 2025, Delaware County banned “ghost guns” and accelerator-driven firing accessories making it the first suburban county to do so.
“As the person who has to send overmatched men and women out to ‘stand up’ against people armed with such weapons; as the people who have to look mothers in the eyes and inform them, ‘your child was shot 70 times’; there is no reason anyone outside of a battle field needs that kind of firepower,” said York City Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow.
“Give us, your law enforcement professionals, a fighting chance. Please,” Muldrow said.
