The rise of 3D-printed firearms is more than a technological novelty—it’s a public safety crisis. Unlike traditional firearms, these weapons can be produced at home with inexpensive technology ...

3D-printed guns are not allowed in the UK, according to the Firearms Act 1968, which prohibits the manufacturing of guns and gun parts without government approval.

"In the era of 3D printing, we must do the same for downloadable guns and accessories." Personally made firearms that fire one shot at a time are legal, as is 3D printing certain guns as a hobbyist.

The number of seized 3D-printed guns in New York state alone surged dramatically, from 100 in 2019 to 637 in 2022. Arrests linked to 3D-printed guns are also rising.

These small pieces modify guns for rapid-fire and are classified as machine guns themselves. As the $2,500 printers showed, hobbyists and criminals can easily exploit rapidly improving technology.

CRIME 3D printers turn handguns into machine guns for as little as 40 cents Small 'Glock switch' is easily 3D-printed, and can turn handgun into a fully automatic weapon, federal officials warn ...

They can be made with kits bought online or with a 3D printer using downloadable blueprints that don't require a background check. They can be pistols, rifles, shotguns, and even machine guns.

WIRED senior writer Andy Greenberg has been reporting on ghost guns for more than a decade. He first used a 3D printer to assemble a gun in 2015, and he says that today’s process is not only ...

Bragg said his office has seen more 3D-printed guns in criminal cases, seizures and gun buyback programs. Assistant DA Bonnie Seok said Friday that auto sears were also recovered in two recent cases.

But 3D-printed guns vary a lot. Some models — like the 3D-printed gun company Defense Distributed’s “Liberator” — can be made almost entirely on a 3D printer.

They can be made with kits bought online or with a 3D printer using downloadable blueprints that don't require a background check. They can be pistols, rifles, shotguns, and even machine guns.

That was what some early iterations of 3D-printed guns allowed. People could print rifle receivers, especially for AR-15 type rifles, and supplement with off-the-shelf parts.