Fears over 'step by step guide' to 3D printed gun

"Ikea-like step by step" guides to 3D gun making are undermining UK firearm laws, one concerned MP has said.

It comes after government plans were announced to criminalise the possession of blueprints for 3D printed guns as the new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill has its second reading in Parliament on Monday.

Preet Gill MP presented a private members bill aimed at outlawing the blueprints last year, and told the BBC she was delighted to see the government take the measures forward.

"Whilst we have the most stringent gun laws in the world this can actually undermine gun control in the United Kingdom," she said.

"As organised crime changes, legislation must keep up."

She said the templates were easily shared online, adding that "with hostile actors using social media and other platforms to stir and incite violence on Britain's streets, it is imperative we act".

There have already been convictions for the ownership of viable 3D printed weapons in the West Midlands.

However, at the moment, owning or distributing the blueprints is not illegal.

The MP for Edgbaston said she was surprised at how "easily accessible these Ikea-like step by step guides are to people at home".

"We want to make sure this doesn't become a trend so that is why nipping it in the bud early on to make it a criminal offense to share and download 3D gun blueprints," she said.

Under the proposed new measures, making, adapting, importing and possession of templates for the weapons, would attract a prison sentence of up to five years.

The BBC was able to find patterns for the 3D printing of weapons parts within a few minutes online.

With the help of a specialist in Birmingham, they could be printed within 24 hours.

While we deliberately chose to print a part that could not be used in a viable firearm, it is a clear demonstration of how easy the process is.

Tim Milward from Backface, which commercially prints items like film props and marketing materials, said similar results could easily have been achieved with a home 3D printer costing a few hundred pounds.

"We just downloaded the part, put it into the printing software and sent it to the printer," he said.

"It's relatively cheap to do - on a home printer that part might have cost you £1, £2 worth material, plus the electricity to power the printer, so really cheap as well.

"I don't know much about firearms but I imagine if you've got the right materials to print something you can just download the file and print easily."

Another concern raised by 3D printed guns, also known as "ghost guns" is they cannot be traced in the same way as conventional weapons.

It is thought such a firearm may have been used in the shooting of US Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York.

It can also be a challenge for police to prove that 3D printed weapons are viable.

In the 2023 conviction of David Bidell-Portman, police used specialist help from the University of Warwick to scan weapons and prove they were capable of being fired.

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