May 11, 2017.
3D printing has since sparked innovation in the architectural, industrial design and biotechnology industries. Now, it has developed in areas that were previously thought to be only possible in realms of science fiction, such as the creation of low-cost prosthetic limbs for children in war-torn countries. While other technologies from the same era, such as CDs, have come and gone, 3-D printing has not yet had a significant commercial impact. The potential for technological innovation and financial gain has attracted international curiosity, firearm enthusiasts and self-proclaimed crypto-anarchists are no exception. The intention of this paper is to broadly outline some of the concerns surrounding 3D printed firearms and to highlight news accounts of these weapons worldwide.
Developments in 3D firearm printing will continue, in the meantime there are three recommendations to consider:
1. There should be a communal approach in favour of criminalising the production, possession and use of 3D firearms. Legislation should go further, as it has done in Australia, to criminalise the action of downloading 3D firearm blueprints.
2. Member States should open national discussion about finding software based solutions to the prevention of printing 3D firearms, as demonstrated by Create It Real in Denmark.
3. Industry experts need to be involved in sharing information, educating Member States and the public, and also developing means of physically tagging and tracing 3-D firearms