A Washington, D.C., man was found guilty of possessing a machine gun, marking the first felony case prosecuted under the newly implemented Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia today.
A jury in Superior Court convicted 21-year-old Keimontay Holston on multiple charges, including possession of a machine gun, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, possession of an unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) Robbery Suppression Unit carried out a search warrant at Holston’s apartment on June 6, 2024, as stated in court documents and trial evidence.
During the search, officers found Holston in the hallway and discovered a fully operational 9mm Glock 17 equipped with a “giggle switch.”
The device transformed the handgun into a machine gun, allowing it to discharge multiple rounds with just one press of the trigger, according to the department.
Officers also found a loaded magazine with 17 rounds and a second magazine with 31 rounds of ammunition, in addition to the firearm.
Holston has been in custody since his arrest during the search. Superior Court Judge Robert Salerno has set Holston’s sentencing for December 11, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves highlighted the significance of the Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act, which has made it a felony to possess conversion devices that can turn handguns into machine guns resembling those used by mobsters in the 1920s and 30s.
“The new statute has yielded its first guilty verdict, and we anticipate that there will be many more to come. Our Office is committed to employing this law vigorously in order to eliminate these hazardous devices from our communities.”