{"id":576934,"date":"2026-03-31T19:50:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T19:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/576934\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T19:50:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T19:50:26","slug":"australia-has-strict-gun-laws-but-is-now-a-hotspot-for-this-type-of-gun-just-like-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/576934\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia has strict gun laws but is now a hotspot for this type of gun \u2014 just like the US"},"content":{"rendered":"

In August 2021, police searching in the Adelaide home of former defence employee Artem Vasilyev found a 3D printer. But they also found a document explaining how to manufacture firearms, an AR-15-style semi-automatic firearm produced by a 3D printer, and a plastic tub of parts.<\/p>\n

The court was told he had frequented white supremacist chat rooms, where he shared gun-building and bomb-making instructions. <\/p>\n

In sentencing remarks, the judge referred to a forensic psychologist\u2019s report saying he “was in the process of becoming radicalised” and had material on his devices “espousing extremist right-wing ideologies”.<\/p>\n

Vasilyev was found not guilty of terrorism charges. He did, however, plead guilty to 22 firearm offences and was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison.<\/p>\n

The case offered a stark glimpse into an escalating firearms threat in Australia \u2014 one created by digital files, online blueprints and so-called “untraceable” gun parts and weapons made outside regulated markets.<\/p>\n

Authorities stress that the vast majority of illegal guns in Australia are still conventional firearms, with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) previously estimating in 2023 that around 200,000 circulate within the illicit market.<\/p>\n

However, rapidly evolving technology and the spread of online manufacturing methods are fuelling a small but thriving market for homemade firearms and parts, the ACIC said.<\/p>\n

A rapidly evolving online market<\/p>\n

While manufacturing or possessing guns carries penalties of up to two decades in prison, privately manufactured firearms, including some primarily built with 3D printers, are appearing more frequently in police seizures across the country.<\/p>\n

“It’s been a phenomenon for the last five years that we’ve really noticed the trend of increasing seizures,” NSW Police detective superintendent John Watson, who heads Australia’s Illicit Firearms Working Group (IFWG), told The Feed.<\/p>\n

\"AMore than 1,000 illicit firearms and parts, including 281 3D-printed firearms and privately manufactured parts, were seized in a transnational operation last year. Source: SBS<\/p>\n

Late last year, more than 1,000 illicit firearms and parts, including 281 3D-printed firearms and privately manufactured parts, were seized in an IFWG transnational operation involving the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force and police forces across Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n

The FGC-9 is one example of a 3D-printed gun commonly seized, Watson told The Feed. Large, often brightly coloured and mostly plastic, it can resemble a NERF gun. Its design was first published in 2020 under a pseudonym in an almost 200-page-long document.<\/p>\n

\"ALarge, often brightly coloured and mostly plastic, the FGC-9 has become one of the most recognisable symbols in the global rise of 3D-printed firearms.<\/p>\n

What it creates is a semi-automatic firearm \u2014 meaning it reloads itself after every shot. Weapons like that were heavily restricted after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, Australia’s deadliest shooting, in which 35 people were killed. <\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/p>\n

The gun is made with store-bought items, not traditional gun components \u2014 a deliberate choice by its designer in a bid to empower “the common man” and get around strict gun laws.<\/p>\n

The name of the FGC-9, given by its designer, is a provocation \u2014 FGC stands for F–k gun control.<\/p>\n

Australia a \u2018global hotspot\u2019 for 3D-printed weapons<\/p>\n

Rueben Dass, a researcher at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore, has spent the past four years building a database tracking the proliferation of 3D-printed firearms around the world.<\/p>\n

He said the global trend is moving in one direction: up.<\/p>\n

In 2024, global attention intensified after Luigi Mangione allegedly used a 3D-printed “ghost gun” in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the US.<\/p>\n

\"ALuigi Mangione\u2019s case drew global attention to 3D-printed “ghost guns” after he was alleged to have used one in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Credit: Getty\/CBS<\/p>\n

“There\u2019s been … a marked increase in the number of global firearms, 3D-printed firearm seizures post 2020,” Dass told The Feed. “And we\u2019ve seen that steadily increase year on year.”<\/p>\n

He has identified several global hotspots: North America, Europe, Brazil and Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n

But he said that because his database is built from media reports, the true figure is likely “much higher”.<\/p>\n

According to his data, Australia has recorded 392 reported incidents involving 3D-printed guns since 2013 \u2014 which includes seizures, discovery, alleged use or attempted use. <\/p>\n

\"A3D-printed gun incidents have risen sharply since 2020, according to analysis by Rueben Dass. Source: SBS<\/p>\n

In Australia and Western Europe, Dass said: “we are seeing a high number of hybrid firearms” \u2014 those that are primarily printed, but require some metal components to finish them off.<\/p>\n

The reason, he said, is regulation. In places with tighter gun laws, offenders are “trying to circumvent the regulations by making these hybrid firearms that do not require any regulated components”.<\/p>\n

Dass said countries that don’t yet have a major problem with 3D-printed guns should not be complacent. <\/p>\n

Nevertheless, he said that while 3D-printed firearms are rapidly proliferating, conventional firearms still represent a far bigger global threat.<\/p>\n

The evolution of a digital weapon<\/p>\n

For years, 3D-printed guns were crude plastic devices that were unreliable and sometimes dangerous for the person shooting them.<\/p>\n

The modern era of 3D-printed firearms started in 2013 when American Cody Wilson, a self-described gun rights activist, released the design for a single-shot plastic pistol known as the Liberator.<\/p>\n

\"ACody Wilson, a self-described gun rights activist, released one of the first widely known 3D-printed gun designs. Source: The Washington Post \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Like several 3D-printed gun designers, Wilson framed his product as a pro-gun statement, saying everyone should have access to a firearm.<\/p>\n

US authorities ordered the files to be removed under export-control rules, but after years of litigation, the designs spread widely anyway.<\/p>\n

Since then, newer and more sophisticated weapons have emerged from largely anonymous online communities.<\/p>\n

“They’re becoming more military grade,” detective superintendent Watson said.<\/p>\n

He added that 3D printers have become cheaper and easier to use.<\/p>\n

“We are seeing a market and a technology change that is enabling a lower threshold for people to be inclined to do something like this. And that’s the real concern,” he said.<\/p>\n

Who is printing guns?<\/p>\n

Law enforcement officials say no single profile fits people producing these weapons.<\/p>\n

“Illicit firearms are sort of crime-type agnostic,” Michael Taylor, forensics coordinator at the Australian Federal Police, told The Feed.<\/p>\n

“We’re concerned about organised crime \u2026 extremism \u2026 domestic violence,” he said.<\/p>\n

Taylor said the danger is that the technology itself is “democratised”.<\/p>\n

“Individuals anywhere in the world, in principle, can design these and release them.”<\/p>\n

Police say privately manufactured guns have been linked to a range of cases \u2014 from organised crime investigations to individuals experimenting with weapon-building at home, as well as fringe groups like sovereign-citizens and preppers.<\/p>\n

If you are upset about a white supremacist building a Urutau, you can build one yourself to counter him.”Joseph the Parrot”, designer of the 3D-printed gun known as the Urutau<\/p>\n

But in any case, Watson at NSW Police said the message is the same: “You\u2019re a criminal.”<\/p>\n

One of the designers behind a weapon known as the Urutau was recently asked on a podcast about extremists using his design.<\/p>\n

“I mean, I don\u2019t support them but if they build a gun I can\u2019t do anything about that,” the Brazilian designer, known online as Joseph the Parrot, said on a podcast.<\/p>\n

“If you are upset about a white supremacist building a Urutau, you can build one yourself to counter him.”<\/p>\n

The Australians searching for blueprints<\/p>\n

Australians were nearly two and a half times more likely to see gun blueprints on the public internet than on the dark web, according to research by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC), released in January.<\/p>\n

“We surveyed nearly 10,000 online Australian adults,” Anthony Morgan, research manager at the AIC, told The Feed.<\/p>\n

“I wasn\u2019t aware they were readily accessible on the public internet. I would\u2019ve assumed people were looking on the dark net.”<\/p>\n

\"AAustralian Institute of Criminology researcher Anthony Morgan says Australians searching for gun blueprints were more likely to find them on the public internet than the dark web. Source: SBS<\/p>\n

The study also identified a pattern among those most likely to access the material.<\/p>\n

“Those buying or trading these products were more likely to be younger, male, technically proficient,” Morgan said.<\/p>\n

They were also more likely to report a history of violence and intentionally try to access violent content \u2014 rather than simply stumbling across it, he added.<\/p>\n

Banning the blueprints<\/p>\n

Calls for tougher laws grew after 3D-printed parts for a shotgun “speed loader” were allegedly found at an Airbnb used by alleged Bondi attackers Naveed and Sajid Akram<\/a>, according to police reports.<\/p>\n

Fifteen people were killed in the December shooting, and dozens more injured.<\/p>\n

Most jurisdictions in Australia now ban the possession of blueprints and design files for 3D-printed firearms, with the ACT moving after the Bondi attack to join other states and territories. <\/p>\n

Researcher Rueben Dass said tackling 3D-printed guns will take more than just tougher laws.<\/p>\n

\"AResearcher Rueben Dass says global seizures of 3D-printed firearms have risen sharply since 2020. Source: SBS<\/p>\n

He said the response also needs better coordination. Police and intelligence agencies need to share information more effectively, he argues, and countries should build national databases to track seizures and link cases.<\/p>\n

“Developing countrywide databases for 3D-printed firearm seizures is extremely, extremely crucial,” he said.<\/p>\n

Because many of these weapons move as parts, not whole guns, he said postal services and e-commerce platforms also need to be a big part of the picture.<\/p>\n

“A lot of the cases, it\u2019s the parts that are trafficked \u2026 even to the trained eye they can look benign.”<\/p>\n

Are ‘ghost guns’ really untraceable?<\/p>\n

Privately manufactured firearms, which include 3D-printed hybrids, are often described as “ghost guns”, suggesting they are impossible for investigators to trace.<\/p>\n

But authorities told The Feed that the reputation is misleading.<\/p>\n

“Any kind of activity that you undertake generates traces of that activity,” Michael Taylor from the AFP said.<\/p>\n

Taylor said tracing these guns is a multidisciplinary process and involves matching bullets or casings to a weapon, checking fingerprints and DNA, inspecting tool and manufacturing marks, and following digital footprints.<\/p>\n

“All of the experts in this building are centred on exploiting that,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"AMichael Taylor, forensics co-ordinator at the Australian Federal Police, says so-called “ghost guns” are not as untraceable as many believe. Source: SBS<\/p>\n

Detective superintendent Watson said people may feel that they are “untraceable” but that’s simply “not the case”.<\/p>\n

However, Dass said 3D-printed guns remain extremely difficult to trace, even as tracing technology improves.<\/p>\n

“I could be sitting in my basement and printing a firearm without any exposure to the outside world.”<\/p>\n

For Dass, many successful investigations rely on mistakes made in online chats, contacts with others, or weapons being uncovered during other investigations.<\/p>\n

Work is underway to further clamp down in this area.<\/p>\n

In the United States, politicians in New York and Washington state are pushing proposals that would require 3D printers sold there to include technology to detect and block the printing of firearms or gun parts.<\/p>\n

Dass said tougher laws are needed, but they come with a trade-off. <\/p>\n

Clamp down too hard, he argues, and criminal actors “are going to go more underground” and “develop more innovative ways to circumvent regulations”.<\/p>\n

He said if blueprints and parts become harder to access on the normal web, the market may get pushed deeper underground, making it even less visible.<\/p>\n

\u2014 With additional reporting from the Australian Associated Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In August 2021, police searching in the Adelaide home of former defence employee Artem Vasilyev found a 3D…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":576935,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":{"0":"post-576934","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=576934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/576935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=576934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=576934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=576934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}