(The Conversation is a nonprofit, independent source of news, commentary, and analysis from experts in academia.)
Nir Kshetri of the University of North Carolina in Greensboro is the author.
According to police looking into the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, 2024, the alleged attacker used a 3D-printed firearm.This type of partially or fully manufactured weapon has been used in a number of high-profile crimes in recent years.
These weapons, which are sometimes referred to as “ghost guns” due to their difficulty in being tracked down, can be entirely or partially constructed using parts that were manufactured using widely accessible 3D printers in plastic or metal. The validity of the current federal prohibitions on certain rifles is being examined by the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2013, a guy from the United Kingdom was arrested in the first known criminal case employing a 3D-printed firearm. Since then, however, authorities around the world have reported discovering more and more of these weapons.
The economic and social impacts of cutting-edge digital technologies, such as 3D printing, are the main topic of my research. I predict that the number of violent and criminal uses of 3D-printed firearms will only rise. Furthermore, governments and law enforcement will probably find it more difficult to control these weapons.
“Ghost guns”: The Discussion
Surge in arrests and seizures
The number of arrests and seizures linked to 3D-printed firearms is rapidly increasing. In 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revealed that over 38,000 suspected ghost weapons were confiscated and reported by U.S. law enforcement agencies between 2017 and 2021. 19,273 suspected ghost weapons were found in 2021 alone, a considerable rise from 8,504 in 2020. In New York state alone, the number of 3D-printed firearms seized increased sharply from 100 in 2019 to 637 in 2022.
3D-printed gun-related arrests are also on the rise. In the first half of 2023, there were 108 arrests worldwide, compared to 66 arrests in 2022.
With 166 arrests involving 3D-printed firearms between 2013 and June 2023, North America leads the world in this regard. Oceania came in third place with 24 arrests, followed by Europe with 48.
With 36% of all arrests worldwide in 2023 involving 3D-printed guns, the United States is a particularly hot spot. Canada, meanwhile, is not far behind at 34%. Australia had 8% while the United Kingdom had 10%.
Growing global security threat
Numerous attempts to obtain or produce 3D-printed firearms were linked to plots for violent acts, according to police and media sources.
Numerous groups, including as far-right extremists, ethno-separatists, jihadists, left-wing anarchists, organized crime gangs in Europe, and pro-democracy insurgents in Myanmar, have employed these firearms.
At least nine documented instances of extremists, terrorists, or paramilitary groups using 3D printing technology to make or attempt to produce firearms were reported in Europe and Australia between 2019 and mid-2022. 15% of 165 cases of 3D-printed weaponry from 2013 to the middle of 2024 were connected to terrorism, according to the data. In cases involving terrorism, far-right organizations seem to be the most frequent users.
The first readily accessible blueprint for 3D manufacturing a gun was called Liberator. Getty Images/Kelly West/AFPGetty Images/Kelly West/AFP
A widely varied legal landscape
Homemade firearms without serial numbers are frequently 3D-printed. Because it is more difficult for law enforcement to connect certain firearms to specific crimes or suspects, their lack of identification makes them appealing to criminals. diverse nations regulate these weapons in very diverse ways.
Japan has strict regulations on the production, ownership, and sale of guns. Unauthorized firearm production, including 3D-printed firearms, is strongly prohibited by its legal system. A 28-year-old Japanese man was given a two-year prison sentence in 2014 for manufacturing firearms using 3D-printed plastic.
Ghost firearms were essentially outlawed in Canada in 2023. It is against the law to possess or produce them without a government permission.
It is unlawful to manufacture a 3D-printed firearm in Australia, and it is also illegal in some jurisdictions to have a digital blueprint to make one. A person found guilty of having blueprints in the state of New South Wales faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in jail. Even harsher penalties, up to 21 years in prison, are possible in the state of Tasmania.
It is illegal to manufacture or possess handmade firearms, including those that are 3D printed, throughout the European Union. Laws and punishments, however, differ; in certain countries, it is illegal to even hold digital files or designs pertaining to 3D-printed firearms.
3D-printed firearms have been deemed unlawful in the United Kingdom, where firearms regulations are quite stringent. However, the government amended the legislation in November 2022 to expressly forbid owning, purchasing, or manufacturing parts for firearms that are 3D printed. Instead of depending on current legislation created for conventional firearms, the plan seeks to specifically outlaw 3D-printed weaponry, addressing their particular difficulties head-on. Parliament is now debating two legislation that would outlaw the possession of blueprints, as the U.K. National Crime Agency has also asked for.
Federal rules in the US
States and the federal government face particular difficulties in regulating ghost weapons because of the U.S. Constitution.
For conventional firearms, that is, ones that aren’t made using 3D printing According to U.S. federal law, a crucial part known as the lower receiver must have a unique serial number. A federal background check and a transaction through a merchant with a federal firearms license are prerequisites for buying a lower receiver.
When it comes to 3D printing firearms, the situation is more complex. Freedom of expression, which includes sharing digital data that might contain firearm designs, is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Additionally, citizens’ freedom to bear guns is protected under the Second Amendment.
Selling 3D-printed guns in the US necessitates a government license. However, it is legal to manufacture or possess weapons for personal use. This entails building the remaining firearm components using unregulated parts and 3D printing the lower receiver component.
Current federal legislation, which is being reviewed by the Supreme Court, also mandates that 3D-printed firearms adhere to certain standards, even if they don’t include any parts of already regulated firearms. The regulation requires ghost gun kit manufacturers to get a federal license, run background checks, keep track of client information, and affix serial numbers to their goods.
When deciding whether a 3D-printed firearm is legal, the kind of weapon also important. As long as the trigger is held down, automatic weapons, sometimes known as machine guns, can keep firing ammo. For nearly 90 years, federal law has placed strict regulations on these firearms.
Criminals have created Glock switches or auto-sears, which transform semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic machine guns, using 3D printers. That turns those items into machine guns under federal law, making themillegal. Owning this kind of 3D-printed conversion device can lead to amaximum of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
3D-printed gun components seized by police in Mineola, N.Y., Dec. 10, 2024. Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty ImagesHoward Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images
In the states
The states can also regulate firearms, and many are trying to get control of 3D-printed guns.
By November 2024,15 U.S. states had established regulations on ghost guns, though exact requirements vary. The rules typically require a serial number, background checks for firearm component purchases and reporting to authorities that a person is producing 3D-printed guns.
For instance, in New Jersey, a 2019 law mandates that all ghost gunshave a serial number and be registered. Under current New York law, possession or distribution of a 3D-printed gun is classified as a misdemeanor. However, a proposed law seeks to elevate the manufacturing of firearms using 3D-printing technologyto a felony offense.
As technology advances and rules evolve, criminals who use 3D-printed firearms will continue to pose threats to public safety and security, and governments will continue playing catch-up to effectively regulate these weapons.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here:https://theconversation.com/3d-printed-guns-like-the-one-allegedly-used-to-kill-a-health-care-ceo-are-a-growing-threat-in-the-us-and-around-the-world-246220.
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