A Perth Man Has Been Charged For 3D Printing A Fully Functional Rifle At Home
The gun could shoot 15 bullets per trigger pull.
A man in Perth has been charged with multiple firearm offences after 3D printing a gun the same calibre as a police weapon.
The unidentified 18-year-old allegedly manufactured the colourful semi-automatic rifle in his Bayswater home without holding a firearm license. Police say the gun could fire over a dozen 9mm bullets per trigger pull, and featured both plastic and metal components.
“This is the first time a fully functional, 3D printed firearm has been seized in Western Australia,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Blair Smith on Monday. “This firearm, although it resembles a toy, has the ability to cause serious harm within our community.”
The gun was seized by the state Drug and Firearm Squad, alongside five gel blasters, a silencer, ammo, a barrel manufacturing station, and the 3D printer in question. It is reportedly 4kg, and was made in two days with $40 worth of materials, according to Nine News.
“There’s numerous 3D printers. A lot of schools have 3D printers, but we are targeting the people specifically making these firearms,” said Smith. “These types of firearms are unregulated, unlicensed, and have no place in our community.”
The man will face the Perth Magistrates Court next Monday over weapons charges including the unlicensed manufacture of a firearm, and four counts of possessing a prohibited weapon, according to Perth Now.
Guns printed with 3D plastic were first conceptualised in 2013 by US gun activist Cody Wilson. However, experts say the firearms pose a significant threat to the shooter due to the nature of putting explosive material inside of plastic.
“At this stage, the only benefits that an economically viable 3D printed weapon may hold for an individual or a non-state group seeking illicit weapons lie in their untraceable nature, and the polymer construction that prevents many common screening devices from detecting them,” a Federal Senate Committee heard in 2015.
Possession, and ownership of a firearm without a license and a genuine reason for it is illegal in Australia. Legislation on 3D-printed guns varies state-to-state, but manufacturing a gun without a license is also extremely illegal and highly dangerous.