Defence Distributed “Liberator” 3D printed pistol. Kamenev
Police found a suspected 3D printer and a plastic magazine and trigger in a raid in Wythenshawe yesterday.
[UPDATE: Are these parts from a gun or a 3D printer upgrade?]
Greater Manchester Police are investigating whether the components could be used to create a viable gun, such as the 3D printed gun recently produced in the US by Defence Distributed.
One man was arrested in the raid on suspicion of making gunpowder and remains in police custody.
Detective Inspector Chris Mossop of Challenger’s Organised Crime Coordination Unit said:
This is a really significant discovery for Greater Manchester Police.
If what we have seized is proven to be viable components capable of constructing a genuine firearm, then it demonstrates that organised crime groups are acquiring technology that can be bought on the high street to produce the next generation of weapons.
In theory, the technology essentially allows offenders to produce their own guns in the privacy of their own home, which they can then supply to the criminal gangs who are causing such misery in our communities. Because they are also plastic and can avoid X-ray detection, it makes them easy to conceal and smuggle.
These could be the next generation of firearms and a lot more work needs to be done to understand the technology and the scale of the problem.
If what we have seized today can, as we suspect, be used to make a genuine firearm then today will be an important milestone in the fight against this next generation of homemade weapons.
I would strongly urge anyone who has information about the whereabouts of a gun in their community to call us.
Defence Distributed made headlines in late 2012 when the nonprofit group began testing a 3D printed gun, the designs for which they shared freely online. They created designs for a receiver and magazine compatible with the AR-15 assault rifle, a magazine for the AK-47, and a complete .380 single shot pistol.
The US Department of State ordered that the group remove the files from their servers in May 2013 for violating the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, but the files remain accessible on a number of file sharing websites.
No 3D printed gun has yet to be found to be used in committing crimes around the world, but they are a major cause for concern amongst police forces and intelligence agencies, as they can be smuggled through X-ray detectors.