3D-Printed Weapons Seized In Australia

The haul of illegal weapons seized in Australia in Gold Coast City, also contain 3D-printed weapons, as reported by BBC. The police said that this is the first-time firearm components made of 3D-print have been discovered. The raid uncovered plastic knuckle dusters that are believed to be printed gun parts. Australian authorities have already publicized a series of videos that highlight the risks of using 3D-printed guns. The ballistic experts still have to give their reports, but the police can identify most of the major components of the weapons that are 3D-printed parts. To the police service's ballistics experts, these are complete weapons that just need assembly.

According to CNET, the Detective Inspector of Queensland's Major and Organized Crime Squad said that there were eight parts per weapon and were sufficient to make concealable firearms. These parts have been created on a 3D printer that was meant for commercial business. The 28 year old man with the printer is set to appear in court and has been charged with offences related to drugs and weapons. However, the owner of the printer is not believed to be involved as he had given the machine to the suspect for calibration. He never thought that it is going to be misused.

As reported by Dezeen, a police probing a property in Greater Manchester England in 2013, had suspected that they had come across 3D-printed gun parts, but later, it turned out that they were just upgrade parts for the printer that were harmless. There were open-source kits released in 2012 for building 3D-printed weapons by the gun enthusiasts, but at request of the US government, the blueprints were taken offline. The first 3D printed gun was tried in 2013 by the German police, who was testing the plastic weapons for potential use.

These incidents show that there is a need to change the country's laws related to gun-related violence because of the new technologies.