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Police have seized multiple 3D printed guns during a raid in Melbourne

Carly Douglas NCA NewsWire
QR code 3D gun plans are being promoted on social media sites such as Pinterest. supplied,
Camera IconQR code 3D gun plans are being promoted on social media sites such as Pinterest. supplied, Credit: Supplied

A collection of 3D printed guns have been seized in Melbourne following a major investigation into gun trafficking and manufacturing.

Five 3D printed handguns, including one capable of firing shotgun rounds, were uncovered by detectives from Frankston CIU at a house in Melbourne’s southeast during a raid this week.

A semiautomatic handgun, 3D printer, ammunition and other 3D firearms parts, including barrels, magazines, and frames, were also discovered at the Cranbourne property.

A 31-year-old male was arrested at the scene and charged with manufacturing and trafficking firearms.

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He is on remand to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on September 12.

The investigation into the homemade weaponry was sparked by the arrest of a 24-year-old man in Langwarrin in March who was carrying an imitation handgun.

A factory in Carrum Downs two months later found two handguns, one of which was allegedly created on a 3D printer.

A 32-year-old Carrum Downs man was charged with being a prohibited person in charge of firearms and possessing a drug of dependence.

He was later sentenced to four months imprisonment after appearing in Frankston Magistrates’ Court.

Nine guns, six of them manufactured on 3D printers, have been seized during the operation – detectives believing to have dismantled a local firearms manufacturing enterprise.

Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Fyffe said police were working to stay on top of the ever-evolving criminal landscape.

“It is illegal to manufacture firearms without a licence, and that includes 3D printed guns,” Sergeant Fyffe said.

“As police, we are constantly evolving to combat new and emerging trends used by criminals.

QR code 3D gun plans are being promoted on social media sites such as Pinterest. supplied,
Camera IconQR code 3D gun plans are being promoted on social media sites such as Pinterest. supplied, Credit: Supplied

We’ve been monitoring the issue of 3D printed firearms for a number of years and there are serious repercussions associated with this kind of activity.”

The untraceable guns, which can be built secretly with no serial number and no history are rising in popularity around the world, with crime gangs, terrorists and extremists in countries with strict gun laws choosing to build their own.

Late last year, Sky News revealed a six-fold increase in the number of Australians being charged with the possession of digital blueprints to 3D-print firearms.

Nazi sympathiser Mitchell Priest, who was allegedly living in a home with a Nazi flag draped on a wall, escaped jail time in October last year after pleading guilty to possessing a blueprint for 3D printed firearm.

Social media sites like Pinterest are also reportedly being used to openly promote blueprints for the weapons, with QR barcodes that provide step-by-step instructions on how to build the homemade ‘ghost guns’, according to security experts.

Originally published as Police have seized multiple 3D printed guns during a raid in Melbourne

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