Nir Kshetrig: Ghost guns a growing threat both in the U.S. and abroad
Police investigating the Dec. 4 shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson say the suspect used a 3D-printed gun. Several high-profile crimes in recent years have involved this kind of homemade weapon.
Often called “ghost guns” because they can be hard to trace, these firearms can be either partially or completely made with components produced in metal or plastic on commercially available 3D printers. In the U.S., the Supreme Court is currently considering the legality of federal restrictions on these firearms.
The first known criminal case involving a 3D-printed gun resulted in the arrest of a U.K. man in 2013. Since then, police worldwide have reported discovery of increasing numbers of these weapons.
My research focuses on the economic and social effects of advanced digital technologies, including 3D printing. I see use of 3D-printed guns in violent activities likely to continue increasing, taxing regulatory abilities.
Arrests and seizures connected to 3D-printed guns are escalating quickly. Between 2017 and 2021, U.S. law enforcement agencies seized and reported nearly 38,000 suspected ghost guns, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
In 2021 alone, 19,273 suspected ghost guns were traced, a significant increase from the 8,504 of 2020. 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. The world recorded 108 arrests in the first half of 2023, compared to 66 arrests in all 2022.
North America leads in 3D-printed gun-related arrests, with 166 cases from 2013 to June 2023. Europe followed with 48.
The U.S. is a hot spot, with 36% of total global arrests related to 3D-printed firearms in 2023. Canada is close behind with 34%. The U.K. had 10% and Australia 8%.
Police and media reports indicate many efforts to acquire or manufacture 3D-printed firearms are connected to plans for violent actions. These guns have been used by diverse groups including far-right extremists, ethno-separatists, jihadists, left-wing anarchists, organized crime groups in Europe and pro-democracy rebels in Myanmar.
From 2019 to mid-2022, there were at least nine documented cases in Europe and Australia of extremists, terrorists or paramilitary groups producing or attempting to produce firearms using 3D-printing. An analysis of 165 cases from 2013 to mid-2024 reveals that 15% were linked to terrorism, most often by far-right groups.
Often, 3D-printed guns are homemade firearms without serial numbers. This lack of identification makes them attractive to criminals because it is harder for law enforcement to link specific guns to particular crimes or suspects.
Different countries take very different approaches to regulating these weapons.
Japan enforces stringent laws governing the manufacture, possession and sale of firearms. Its legal system strictly prohibits unauthorized firearm production by any means.
In 2014, a 28-year-old Japanese man was sentenced to two years in prison for producing plastic 3D-printed firearms.
Canada has effectively banned ghost guns. It is illegal to possess or manufacture them without a license from the government.
In Australia, making a 3D-printed firearm is illegal, and in some states, so is possessing a digital blueprint to create one in several states. A person convicted of possessing blueprints can face up to 14 years in prison in New South Wales and 21 years in Tasmania.
Across the European Union, making or owning homemade firearms is broadly prohibited. However, laws and penalties vary, with some nations criminalizing even the possession of digital files.
In the U.K., where firearms are heavily restricted, 3D-printed guns have always been considered illegal. In 2022, the government updated the law to specifically ban possessing, buying or producing parts for 3D-printed guns.
The U.S. Constitution poses some unique challenges to regulating ghost guns, especially for the federal government, but also for various states.
For regular firearms, federal law requires a key component, called the lower receiver, bear a unique serial number. Lower receivers can only be purchased through a federally licensed dealer after passage of a federal background check.
Sale of 3D-printed firearms also requires a federal license. But producing or owning homemade firearms for personal use is allowed.
A new federal law, currently under review by the Supreme Court, would require 3D-printed guns meet specific guidelines, even if they didn’t contain any currently regulated firearms components. Under the rule, makers of ghost gun kits would have to obtain a federal license, conduct background checks, record information about their customers and add serial numbers to their products.
Criminals have also used 3D printers to produce “Glock switches” or auto-sears, which convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons that keep firing as long as the trigger is held down.
That turns them into machine guns under federal law, making them illegal. Owning this kind of 3D-printed conversion device can lead to 10 years in federal prison.
The states can also regulate firearms, and many are trying to control 3D-printed guns.
To date, 15 states have established regulations on ghost guns. The rules typically require a serial number, background checks for firearm and component purchases and reporting to authorities that a person is producing 3D-printed guns.
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.
From The Conversation, an online repository of lay versions of academic research findings found at https://theconversation.com/us. Used with permission.
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