Police alert NHS trust to man's 3D-printed gun

Police have alerted an NHS trust over a man's attempt to 3D-print a gun at home, with one NHS source telling the BBC the individual was someone "unhappy about services".

West Mercia Police said officers seized a 3D printer and a partially made gun from an address in Worcestershire in December.

The items were found after a 43-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a harassment offence, the force added.

While Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust said it would not comment while police were investigating, an NHS source said the matter had been brought to the attention of several teams within the trust after the police alert.

"Staff were then advised to be careful by managers during staff meetings," the source told the BBC.

"The background to this was that the individual was unhappy about NHS services," the source added.

"Staff are quite anxious at the moment after what happened to the nurse who was stabbed in Manchester."

According to its website, the trust is the main provider of integrated community services locally.

West Mercia Police said the partially printed gun was a "non-viable plastic firearm" and inquiries into the matter were continuing.

Preet Kaur Gill, Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, is sponsoring a bill to make it an offence to possess any parts of a gun produced by 3D printing.

It is currently only an offence to posses a complete gun.

"This is a very worrying trend," she said.

"These guns are untraceable and can go under the radar. You can buy a 3D printer for £150.

"I am also trying to make it an offence to download and possess a blue print for making a gun."

Discussions were needed with various bodies to see how websites that provided blueprints could be blocked, she added.

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