A side photo of the FGC-9 MKII StingraySTL Preview of theUrutau 3D printed bullpup.A 3D-printedderringer pistol discovered in a carry-on bag at an airport security check.
A3D-printed firearm is afirearm that is partially or primarily produced with a3D printer. While plastic printed firearms are associated withimprovised firearms, or the politics ofgun control, digitally-produced metal firearms are more associated with commercial manufacturing or experiments in traditional firearms design.[1]
Although it is possible to create fully-printed plastic firearms and silencers, these tend to have short working lives.[2] 3D-printed gun culture is built around the printing ofopen-source firearm frames andreceivers, the use of standard, metal commercial components (like anaction andbarrel), and other parts that can be made or purchased in aparts kit.[3][a]
In May 2013, the American companyDefense Distributed published plans for the first completefirearm that could be downloaded and reproduced by anyone with a desktop3D printer.[4][5] Defense Distributed also designed the first generation of 3D-printedAR-15–type rifle receivers and magazines.[6] With these early online publications, theUnited States Department of State demanded removal of the files from the company's websiteDEFCAD, deeming the activity a violation of theArms Export Control Act.[7][8] In 2015, Defense Distributed sued the State Department on free speech grounds, and in 2018, the Department of Justice settled, acknowledging the American right to publish instructions for the production of 3D-printed firearms online.[9][10]
Legal action against Defense Distributed inspired the creation of additionaldecentralized 3D-printed firearm communities, including FOSSCAD andDeterrence Dispensed, in 2019. Members of these communities are generallyanonymous, and are often based in non-U.S. jurisdictions.[3][11][12]
In October 2020, Jacob Duygu, a Kurdish German gun designer known by the pseudonym "JStark1809" released theFGC-9, which became the world's most popular printed gun.[13] A second model was later made in April 2021, and both could be made in a matter of weeks with less than $500 in tools and materials.[14]
Rebels in the 2021 phase of theMyanmar Civil War used 3D-printed firearms against the military junta,[15][16][17][18] but frequency lessened as funds and conventional weaponry became more available.[19][20][21][22][23]
In December 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEOBrian Thompson was allegedlykilled with a printed pistol and printed silencer.[24] The gun appears to be a "Chairmanwon V1", a minor tweak of the 2021 Glock design "FMDA 19.2" published byDeterrence Dispensed and The Gatalog.[25][26]
The Defense Distributed's 3D-printed single shot "Liberator"
After Defense Distributed released its first generation of files, world media questioned the effects that 3D printing and widespread, consumer-levelCNC machining[27][28] would have on internationalgun control laws.[29][30][31][32]
TheU.S. Department of Homeland Security and theJoint Regional Intelligence Center released a memo stating "Significant advances in three-dimensional (3D) printing capabilities, availability of free digital 3D printer files for firearms components, and difficulty regulating file sharing may present public safety risks from unqualified gun seekers who obtain or manufacture 3D-printed guns," and that "proposed legislation to ban 3D printing of weapons may deter, but cannot completely prevent their production. Even if the practice is prohibited by new legislation, online distribution of these digital files will be as difficult to control as any other illegally traded music, movie or software files."[33]
Internationally, where gun controls are generally tighter than in the United States, some commentators have said the impact may be more strongly felt, as alternative firearms are not as easily obtainable.[34] European officials have noted that producing a 3D-printed gun would be illegal under their gun control laws,[35] and that criminals have access to other sources of weapons, but noted that as the technology improved the risks of an effect would increase.[36][37] Downloads of the plans from the UK, Germany, Spain, and Brazil were heavy.[38][39]
Attempting to restrict the distribution over the Internet of gun plans has been likened to the futility of preventing the widespread distribution ofDeCSS which enabledDVDripping.[40][41][42][43] After the U.S. government had Defense Distributed take down the plans, they were still widely available viaThe Pirate Bay and other file sharing sites.[44] Some US legislators have proposed regulations on 3D printers to prevent their use for printing guns.[45][46] 3D printing advocates have suggested that such regulations would be futile, could cripple the 3D printing industry, and could infringe on free speech rights.[47][48][49][50]
3D printing pioneer ProfessorHod Lipson suggested that gunpowder could be controlled instead.[51]
In 2022, 3D-printing led to the proliferation of theGlock switch, which converts a Glock pistol into a select-fire machine pistol. The ATF commented in February 2023 that converted Glocks were found "on a weekly basis".[54]
InAustralia, the state law ofNew South Wales criminalizes the possession of the digital plans and files to 3D print firearms under Section 51F of the Firearms Act 1996.[55] In one case in 2015, a loaded, 3D-printed firearm was found during a police raid on a meth lab.[56]
In another case in February 2017, Sicen Sun was arrested on charges related to 3D printable guns. During trial in December 2017, he pleaded guilty to charges including possessing a digital blueprint for the manufacture of firearms, manufacturing a pistol without a licence permit, and possessing an unauthorised pistol. In a sentence hearing on August 6, 2018, he told the court he initially wanted to replicate a gun from the videogameHalo and when he started searching blueprints online he downloaded plans for other guns which looked "cool".[57] Sun had previously posted an advertisement on the internet to sell one of his imitation weapons for "$1 million negotiable" on aFacebook buy, swap and sell group, which set off the investigation.
The CanadianCriminal Code makes it a crime for a person to manufacture (or offer to manufacture) any firearm or ammunition knowing that the person is not authorized to do so under Canadian laws or regulations.[58] Authorizations to manufacture can be obtained, for example, as a capability attached to a firearms business license. The Canadian government moreover has stated that "regardless of manufacturing method, a business licence is required to produce a firearm".[59] At least two separate cases during 2020 have led to charges for 3D printing of firearms.[60][61]
In 2023 a further ban was placed on computer data pertaining to certain firearms and prohibited devices, making it illegal to 1) possess or access such data for the purpose of manufacturing or trafficking, and/or 2) distribute such data knowing that the computer data are intended to be used for the purpose of manufacturing or trafficking.[62][63] This ban was targeted at 3D printed firearms, but legally includes any other manufacturing method, and includes prohibited devices (e.g., suppressors, high-capacity magazines, short barrels, and objects that resemble real firearms[64]).
TheHalle synagogue shooting gained particular notoriety for the use of improvised firearms by the perpetrator.[3][65] 3D printedmagazines and a hybrid gun with a 3D printedlower receiver were carried by the shooter, though left unused.[66] The shooter was later found to have 3D printed several additional guns.[67] This sparked questions over the legal status of such firearms, though the consensus in most parties represented in theBundestag was that no additional legislation would be necessary,[68] as the currentGerman gun law explicitly prohibits the unlicensed manufacture of firearms regardless of method.[69]
3D-printed firearms in Italy are subjected to the same laws as typicalgunsmithed firearms, only requiring a license, as long as the firearms stay within legal limits. In November 2021, it was reported that inNaples and other areas ofCampania, the localCamorra has begun using 3D-printed firearms and ammunition due to ease of access and for selling on to other gangs. This was found out via the discovery of videos and images on a seizediPhone of said firearms.[70]
InJapan, in May 2014, Yoshitomo Imura was the first person to be arrested for possessing printed guns.[71] Imura had five guns, two of which were capable of being fired, but had no ammunition.[71] Imura had previously posted blueprints and video of hisZig Zag revolvers to the Internet, which set off the investigation.[72]
The Singaporean government passed a law in January 2021 that made it an offence for anyone in Singapore to possess a digital blueprint of a gun or gun part without a license under the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act.[73][74]
In theUnited Kingdom, theFirearms Act 1968 bans the manufacturing of guns and gun parts without government approval.[75] Hence, 3D printed weapons arede facto banned because the law bans all manufacturing, regardless of method. However, theHome Office updated its Guide on Firearms Licensing Law to specifically mention the ban on 3D printed weapons.[76]
In June 2019, Tendai Muswere, aged 26, became the first person in the United Kingdom charged with making a gun with a 3D printer. The firearm in question, which he claims was merely a prop for a dystopian film he was working on, was found during a raid following claims he was growing and selling cannabis. Originally in October 2017, he claimed he was only printing gun-like models, however in February 2018, following another raid, it was found his intentions were to make a working firearm based on his browser history and some working gun components found in his house along with homemade gunpowder.[77][78]
Under theUndetectable Firearms Act, any firearm that cannot be detected by ametal detector is illegal to manufacture, so legal designs for firearms such as theLiberator require a metal plate to be inserted into the printed body. The Act was renewed for five years in 1998, and ten years in 2003 and 2013.[79] The subject of 3D printed guns gained such attention that in 2014, Netflix included it in its documentary "Print the Legend", a film about the significance of 3D printing technology.[80]
On August 1, 2018, the US District Court blocked the re-publication of the 3D design of firearms online due to the potential risk to the public.[83] In January 2020, theTrump Administration published a rule change to remove 3D-printed gun blueprints from the munitions list and transfer administrative authority over them to theCommerce Department. A U.S. District judge blocked the rule change on procedural grounds in March 2020,[84] but theNinth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that ruling in April 2021.[85] As a result, online posting of plans for 3D-printed firearms now requires a license under theExport Administration Regulations issued by theBureau of Industry and Security.[86]
Laws related to the manufacture, sale, and possession of firearms generally apply to 3D-printed firearms. Some state and local laws apply more specifically to 3D-printed guns:
California requires (under a 2018 law) homemade guns to have a small piece of stainless steel embedded, with a serial number issued by the California Justice Department, and regulations with regard to safety classes and background checks apply.[87]
Massachusetts bans "concealed" weapons, defined as ones that cannot be found with metal detectors or which resemble other objects. Attorney GeneralMaura Healey states that this rule "prohibits" 3D-printed guns,[88] which is dubious considering most contain metal.
New Jersey restricts manufacturing of 3D-printed guns and distributions for blueprints to licensed firearm manufacturers.[87] In 2018,New Jersey Attorney GeneralGurbir Grewal sent acease and desist letter to Defense Distributed ordering it not to distribute its plans to people in New Jersey. The company sued on First Amendment grounds; as of March 2021, the caseDefense Distributed v. Gurbir Grewal had been remanded to a district court after higher courts settled jurisdictional issues.[89]
Philadelphia banned the manufacture and possession of 3D-printed firearms in November 2013.[87]
Currently, it is not federally prohibited by law to manufacture firearms for personal use in the United States, as long as the firearm is not produced with the intent to be sold or transferred, and meets a few basic requirements.[90] A license is required to manufacture firearms for sale or distribution. The law prohibits a person from assembling a non-sporting semiautomatic rifle or shotgun from 10 or more imported parts, as well as firearms that cannot be detected by metal detectors or X-ray machines. In addition, the making of an NFA firearm requires a tax payment and advance approval by ATF.[90]
^Mearian, Lucas (May 30, 2014)."Lab tests show 3D printed guns can be useless -- and dangerous".Computerworld.Defense Distributed has demonstrated its Liberator 3D printed gun successfully. The gun, however, has a limited lifespan, and it typically fails after eight to 10 shots.
^"La camorra diventa hi-tech: "Armi stampate in 3d"" [The Camorra goes hi-tech: '3D-printed weapons'.].Stylo24 - Ultime Notizie su Napoli e la Campania (in Italian). November 9, 2021. RetrievedDecember 1, 2021.
