A 3D-printed firearm is a firearm that is partially or primarily produced with a 3D printer. While plastic printed firearms are associated with improvised firearms, or the politics of gun 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 of open-source firearm frames and receivers, the use of standard, metal commercial components (like an action and barrel), and other parts that can be made or purchased in a parts kit. [3] [a]
While 3D-printed parts are made in the development and production of conventional firearms, they are more commonly associated with DIY guns in American gun politics. 3D-printed parts complicate the debates regarding high-capacity magazine and assault weapon bans, as well as federal regulations like the ATF's pistol brace rule.
In May 2013, the American company Defense Distributed published plans for the first complete firearm that could be downloaded and reproduced by anyone with a desktop 3D printer. [4] [5] Defense Distributed also designed the first generation of 3D-printed AR-15–type rifle receivers and magazines. [6] With these early online publications, the United States Department of State demanded removal of the files from the company's website DEFCAD, deeming the activity a violation of the Arms 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 additional decentralized 3D-printed firearm communities, including FOSSCAD and Deterrence Dispensed, in 2019. Members of these communities are generally anonymous, 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 the FGC-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]
In December 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was allegedly killed with a printed pistol and printed silencer. [15] The gun appears to be a "Chairmanwon V1", a minor tweak of the 2021 Glock design "FMDA 19.2" published by Deterrence Dispensed and The Gatalog. [16] [17]
After Defense Distributed released its first generation of files, world media questioned the effects that 3D printing and widespread, consumer-level CNC machining [18] [19] would have on international gun control laws. [20] [21] [22] [23]
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Joint 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." [24]
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. [25] European officials have noted that producing a 3D-printed gun would be illegal under their gun control laws, [26] and that criminals have access to other sources of weapons, but noted that as the technology improved the risks of an effect would increase. [27] [28] Downloads of the plans from the UK, Germany, Spain, and Brazil were heavy. [29] [30]
Attempting to restrict the distribution over the Internet of gun plans has been likened to the futility of preventing the widespread distribution of DeCSS which enabled DVD ripping. [31] [32] [33] [34] After the U.S. government had Defense Distributed take down the plans, they were still widely available via The Pirate Bay and other file sharing sites. [35] Some US legislators have proposed regulations on 3D printers to prevent their use for printing guns. [36] [37] 3D printing advocates have suggested that such regulations would be futile, could cripple the 3D printing industry, and could infringe on free speech rights. [38] [39] [40] [41]
3D printing pioneer Professor Hod Lipson suggested that gunpowder could be controlled instead. [42]
Chelsea Parsons at the Center for American Progress advocated technical countermeasures designed to prevent owners from printing guns. [43] The EURion constellation is used in a similar way to prevent color photocopiers from producing counterfeit currency, and the Counterfeit Deterrence System is used in image editing software. [44]
In 2022, 3D-printing led to the proliferation of the Glock switch, which converts a Glock pistol into a select-fire weapon. The ATF commented in February 2023 that converted Glocks were found "on a weekly basis". [45]
In Australia, the state law of New South Wales criminalizes the possession of the digital plans and files to 3D print firearms under Section 51F of the Firearms Act 1996. [46] In one case in 2015, a loaded, 3D-printed firearm was found during a police raid on a meth lab. [47]
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 videogame Halo and when he started searching blueprints online he downloaded plans for other guns which looked "cool". [48] Sun had previously posted an advertisement on the internet to sell one of his imitation weapons for "$1 million negotiable" on a Facebook buy, swap and sell group, which set off the investigation.
The Canadian Criminal 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. [49] 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". [50] At least two separate cases during 2020 have led to charges for 3D printing of firearms. [51] [52]
The Halle synagogue shooting gained particular notoriety for the use of improvised firearms by the perpetrator. [3] [53] 3D printed magazines and a hybrid gun with a 3D printed lower receiver were carried by the shooter, though left unused. [54] The shooter was later found to have 3D printed several additional guns. [55] This sparked questions over the legal status of such firearms, though the consensus in most parties represented in the Bundestag was that no additional legislation would be necessary, [56] as the current German gun law explicitly prohibits the unlicensed manufacture of firearms regardless of method. [57]
3D-printed firearms in Italy are subjected to the same laws as typical gunsmithed firearms, only requiring a license, as long as the firearms stay within legal limits. In November 2021, it was reported that in Naples and other areas of Campania, the local Camorra 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 seized iPhone of said firearms. [58]
In Japan, in May 2014, Yoshitomo Imura was the first person to be arrested for possessing printed guns. [59] Imura had five guns, two of which were capable of being fired, but had no ammunition. [59] Imura had previously posted blueprints and video of his Zig Zag revolvers to the Internet, which set off the investigation. [60]
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. [61] [62]
In the United Kingdom, the Firearms Act 1968 bans the manufacturing of guns and gun parts without government approval. [63] Hence, 3D printed weapons are de facto banned because the law bans all manufacturing, regardless of method. However, the Home Office updated its Guide on Firearms Licensing Law to specifically mention the ban on 3D printed weapons. [64]
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. [65] [66]
Under the Undetectable Firearms Act, any firearm that cannot be detected by a metal detector is illegal to manufacture, so legal designs for firearms such as the Liberator 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. [67] 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. [68]
The company Defense Distributed, founded by Cody Wilson, started posting 3D-printed gun blueprints on the Internet in 2013. The Obama Administration decided to amend International Traffic in Arms Regulations to include 3D-printed firearms in 2015. [69] [70] With these changes in place, the United States Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls ordered Defense Distributed to remove the plans since it was not licensed to export them. Various federal courts ruled in Defense Distributed v. United States Department of State which claimed the regulations violated the First and Second Amendments to the United States Constitution. The State Department settled the case by giving an export license to Defense Distributed, prevailing despite lawsuits from several states to prevent it.
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. [71] In January 2020, the Trump Administration published a rule change to remove 3D-printed gun blueprints from the munitions list and transfer administrative authority over them to the Commerce Department. A U.S. District judge blocked the rule change on procedural grounds in March 2020, [72] but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that ruling in April 2021. [73] As a result, online posting of plans for 3D-printed firearms now requires a license under the Export Administration Regulations issued by the Bureau of Industry and Security. [74]
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:
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. [78] 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. [78]
In firearms terminology and at law, the firearm frame or receiver is the part of a firearm which integrates other components by providing housing for internal action components such as the hammer, bolt or breechblock, firing pin and extractor, and has threaded interfaces for externally attaching ("receiving") components such as the barrel, stock, trigger mechanism and iron/optical sights. Some firearm designs, such as the AR-15 platform, feature receivers that have 2 separate sub-assemblies called the upper receiver which houses the barrel/trunnion, bolt components etc and the lower receiver that holds the fire control group, pistol grip, selector, stock etc.
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control, with the material being added together, typically layer by layer.
Improvised firearms are firearms manufactured by an entity other than a registered firearms manufacturer or a gunsmith. Improvised firearms are typically constructed by adapting existing materials to the purpose. They range in quality, from crude weapons that are as much a danger to the user as the target, to high-quality arms produced by cottage industries using salvaged and repurposed materials.
Thingiverse is a website dedicated to the sharing of user-created digital design files. Providing primarily free, open-source hardware designs licensed under the GNU General Public License or Creative Commons licenses, the site allows contributors to select a user license type for the designs that they share. 3D printers, laser cutters, milling machines and many other technologies can be used to physically create the files shared by the users on Thingiverse.
Gun laws in New York regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the U.S. state of New York, outside of New York City which has separate licensing regulations. New York's gun laws are among the most restrictive in the United States.
Defense Distributed is an online, open-source hardware and software organization that develops digital schematics of firearms in CAD files, or "wiki weapons", that may be downloaded from the Internet and used in 3D printing or CNC milling applications. Among the organization's goals is to develop and freely publish firearms-related design schematics that can be downloaded and reproduced by anyone with a 3D printer or milling machine, facilitating the popular production of homemade firearms.
Cody Rutledge Wilson is an American gun rights activist and crypto-anarchist. He started Defense Distributed, a non-profit organization which develops and publishes open source gun designs, so-called "wiki weapons" created by 3D printing and digital manufacture. He is the director of Defense Distributed; it gained international notoriety in 2013 when it published plans online for the Liberator, the first widely available functioning 3D-printed pistol.
DEFCAD, Inc. is an American startup that has created a search engine and web portal for designers and hobbyists to find and develop 3D printable and other CAD models online.
The Liberator is a 3D-printable single-shot handgun, the first such printable firearm design made widely available online. The open source firm Defense Distributed designed the gun and released the plans on the Internet on May 6, 2013. The plans were downloaded over 100,000 times in the two days before the United States Department of State demanded that Defense Distributed retract the plans.
The United States Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 makes it illegal to manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive any firearm that is not as detectable by walk-through metal detection as a security exemplar containing 3.7 oz of steel, or any firearm with major components that do not generate an accurate image before standard airport imaging technology.
The Feinstein AK Mag is a 3D printed magazine for the AK-47 rifle. It was created by Defense Distributed and made public in March 2013. The magazine was created using a Stratasys Dimension SST 3-D printer via the fused deposition modeling (FDM) method.
The Cuomo Mag is a 3D printed AR-15 magazine named after the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, who signed the NY SAFE Act into law banning magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. It was created by Defense Distributed and made public around January 2013
In recent years, 3D printing has developed significantly and can now perform crucial roles in many applications, with the most common applications being manufacturing, medicine, architecture, custom art and design, and can vary from fully functional to purely aesthetic applications.
A homemade firearm, also called a ghost gun or privately made firearm, is a firearm made by a private individual, in contrast to one produced by a corporate or government entity. The term ghost gun is used mostly in the United States by gun control advocates, but it is being adopted by gun rights advocates and the firearm industry.
The FGC-9 is a 3D-printable, semi-automatic, pistol-caliber carbine. The firearm was first designed and manufactured between 2018 and 2020 by Jacob Duygu, a Kurdish German gun designer known by the pseudonym "JStark1809". In April 2021, a "MkII" revision was released. As of 2024, the FGC-9 is "by far" the world's most common 3-D printed gun, used by insurgents, militia members, terrorists, and drug traffickers in at least 15 countries. The gun's most prominent promoter is "Ivan The Troll," a man identified as John Elik in legal documents.
Deterrence Dispensed (DetDisp) is a decentralized, online collective that promotes and distributes designs for open-source 3D-printed firearms, gun parts, and handloaded cartridges. The group describes itself as aligned with the freedom of speech and anti-copyright movements.
Polymer80, Inc. was an American manufacturer of parts kits containing firearm parts including unfinished receivers used for making privately made firearms. The company was founded in 2013 by Loran Kelley Jr. and David Borges and was headquartered in Dayton, Nevada. Polymer80 received press coverage because of the use of their products in crimes involving so-called "ghost guns", which in specific cases has resulted in lawsuits being brought against the company. As of July 25th, 2024 Polymer80 ceased operations and began liquidating its assets.
A Glock switch is a small device that can be attached to the rear of the slide of a Glock handgun, changing the semi-automatic pistol into a selective fire machine pistol capable of fully automatic fire. As a type of auto sear, it functions by applying force to the trigger bar to prevent it from limiting fire to one round of ammunition per trigger pull. This device by itself, regardless if it is installed on a slide or not, is considered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to be a machine gun, making possession of the device illegal in the United States under most circumstances.
Come and Take It: The Gun Printer's Guide to Thinking Free is an autobiographical book written by American gun rights activist, author and crypto-anarchist, Cody Wilson in 2016.
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.