Edward Devon Gadson, a 27-year-old resident of Waldorf, Maryland, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after being found in possession of 35 illegal machine gun conversion devices in the District of Columbia. The sentencing took place at the U.S. District Court and was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Gadson had previously pleaded guilty on July 11 to charges of unlawful transfer and possession of a machine gun as well as aiding and abetting. In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered that Gadson serve three years of supervised release.
The announcement was made with contributions from ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony A. Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to court documents, MPD officers stopped Gadson on October 2, 2024, around 5 p.m., while he was driving a Dodge Durango with heavily tinted windows on the 2300 block of Green St. SE in Anacostia. Officers observed a clear plastic bag containing firearms accessories on the back passenger side floor. Upon inspection, they found dozens of machine gun conversion devices—also known as MCDs or “switches”—inside the bag.
Each device is capable of converting a pistol into an automatic firearm. The seized devices were reportedly manufactured using 3-D printing technology and featured images related to an internet meme called “Not ATF Guy.”
The investigation was conducted by both the MPD and the ATF Washington Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John D. Crabb and Thomas Strong prosecuted the case.
