‘Tip of the iceberg’: 3D printed firearms, slam guns and modified weapons being found in Queensland homes

Queensland police are finding more and more 3D printed firearms in the community but a university professor warns this may be the “tip of the iceberg”.

Queensland’s teen criminals could soon be kicking down doors armed with homemade 3D printed firearms, according to a police detective and university professor.

Once considered “emerging technology” 3D printed guns are now commonplace with Queensland criminals, with police saying they are regularly finding the weapons during searches of properties, cars and people.

In the past if a criminal wanted to procure a gun they would need to navigate complex underworld connections but with advancements in technology offenders can print guns from the comfort of their homes with a machine costing less than a $2000, sparking fears they are seeing just the tip of the iceberg.

Detective Superintendent George Marchesini said they were finding all manner of homemade guns across Southern Queensland Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

“During our searches we are finding privately manufactured firearms that come in all shapes and sizes,” Detective Superintendent and Southern Region regional crime co-ordinator George Marchesini said.

“We have people that are able to machine firearms in their backyards, we have people that are buying 3D printers and making guns able to fire multiple rounds.

“In the last six to eight weeks police issued a search warrant at a property and he was midway through 3D printing a small handgun.

“We are also finding converted firearms, things like gel blasters with the right know how and the right parts can be converted and we are seeing those parts being imported interstate and internationally.

“We are also seeing ‘slam guns’ where it’s one projectile in a small firearm that is easily concealed but can prove fatal in the wrong hands.

“We used to talk about privately manufactured firearms as emerging technologies but I think we can safety safe it is no longer emerging and are more and more prevalent.”

Criminal law expert Associate Professor Andrew Hemming said it was easier than ever for criminals to build firearms at home.

UniSQ Criminal law expert Associate Professor Andrew Hemming said criminals printing their own weapons was no longer a thing of science fiction.

He said since the first 3D gun the ‘Liberator’ was printed back in 2013 the technology had grown dramatically.

“People will go onto the internet and download a firearm blueprint and only two jurisdictions in Australia make that an offence and that’s New South Wales and Tasmania,” he said

“All people need is a 3D printer which can be as little as $2000 and you need a certain type of plastic and some small metal parts.

“What you do is you make it in parts like Lego, you work your way through the booklet and slowly but surely build up the gun.”

Mr Hemming said Australia was at risk of becoming more like our American counterparts.

“If you go back to the Port Arthur Massacre there was a big arms buyback and we pride ourself on having control over guns but slowly and surely things have started to unravel,” he said.

“We are now in danger of having a defacto America situation because anyone can make one, instead of teenagers terrorising a house with a knife the prospect of them having a gun is a real and present danger.

“I wrote an article and I spoke about a senate inquiring into gun violence in 2014 where they said ‘3D printers are in no ways integral to the illegal manufacturing of firearms’ but I said this is no longer accurate.”

One of the 3D printed firearms found by police. Picture: NSW Police

Mr Hemming said he would like to see legislative changes to help police crack down on the growing problem.

“I would like to see some form of uniform treatment of 3D firearms so we don't have some jurisdictions like New South Wales and Tasmia who are ahead of the game and states like Queensland who are sleepy,” he said.

“What criminals are relying on is it illegal to own an unregistered firearm but in some jurisdictions people can have all the materials, the prints, the plans the plastics and the metal but they don’t a gun. If they’re smart they’ll never have the gun on the premises but they are still making firearms.

“I believe the police don't want to alarm the public that these things are so easy to make, I think policing in this country is going to become a lot more difficult.

“I want to wave the flag and say this is a problem that not even the police know how many are out there, what they are finding is just the tip of iceberg.”

Police are regularly finding homemade firearms. A 12 gauge slam gun found by police.