Photo: 123rf.com
The number of guns being made using 3D printers is on the rise in New Zealand, and police say the technology is getting better and better.
And police say they might push for a ban on downloading the plans to build them - but it is a complex area.
Last month, an Otago man became the first person in New Zealand to be jailed after using a 3D printer to make multiple firearms.
New legislation was passed in 2020 making the crime of manufacturing punishable by up to 10 years in jail.
Blueprints for 3D guns are readily available online, and it is not illegal to download them.
One of the most popular 3D printed weapons in Australia is reportedly a semi-automatic weapon that can fire up to 30 rounds without needing to reload. Here, police say it is the smaller pistol which is the 3D weapon of choice.
Detective Superintendent Greg Williams told Checkpoint on Tuesday it was concerning to police.
"We sort of really became aware of it… about five or six years ago when we started to see firearms that could actually fire shots. So we've seen a ramping up, but at the moment, it's around about 58 firearms that we've actually seized… a lot of those are sort of pistols or those types of weapons."
The gun seized in Oamaru was one of the bigger he had seen, the accused having allegedly put it together using two 3D printers.
"We just ran a symposium in Australia looking at this very issue so that we better understand it and can be able to combat what's coming at us… You can buy the printers, get the plans, download them and start manufacturing."
Some parts still needed to be manufactured the old way, he said - like barrels, springs and pins.
"We're certainly trying to jam down on what's coming through the border… You can order them out of China. They'll often come in as other things, so we are aware of that."
The 3D printed parts are made of plastic, so harder for officials to detect at Customs and other security checkpoints.
Greg Williams. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
"You can now purchase ceramic ammunition. I have heard potentially of plastic ammunition, so we're certainly aware of that risk also."
One thing police are looking at in the current Arms Act review is a potential ban on 3D plans for weapons, like how downloading objectionable material is an offence.
"I think the chief censor is certainly looking at that at this point in time. So there's there's a few legal hurdles to go through, but absolutely - and I think that's where Australia has gone…
"But on the other hand, of course, you have to understand there are already people, gunsmiths in this country who manufacture firearms legitimately, right? And so you've got to understand that there are people that may well in fact produce firearms… that might be legal and legitimate, so you've got to take that into account when you're trying to legislate."
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