3D gun printing case

Manitoba man pleads guilty in 3D-printed ‘ghost gun’ case - Winnipeg

Crime

By Shane Gibson Global News

Posted December 6, 2022 3:34 pm

Updated December 6, 2022 7:38 pm

0:43 Manitoba man pleads guilty in 3D-printed ‘ghost gun’ case

A man from the RM of Hanover is headed to jail after admitting in court to printing 3D “ghost guns” at his rural Manitoba home – Dec 6, 2022

A man from the RM of Hanover is headed to jail after admitting in court to printing 3D “ghost guns” at his rural Manitoba home.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) began investigating after a suspicious package bound for Manitoba was intercepted at the International Mail Processing Centre in Mississauga, Ont., in September 2021.

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The package, labelled as furniture brackets, was found to contain metal parts needed to assemble a 3D-printed Glock-type pistol, also known as a “ghost gun. ”

With help from the RCMP, the CBSA raided a home in the RM of Hanover in December 2021, arresting 34-year-old Ryan Buhler.

1:13 Ghost guns new to Winnipeg

In the home they found two 3D-printed handguns along with three other firearms, ammunition and a 3D printer, police have previously said.

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Buhler was initially charged with several counts of manufacturing and possessing firearms without authorization.

On Tuesday the CBSA said Buhler, now 35, has been sentenced to concurrent three-year and two-year jail sentences after pleading guilty to one count of unauthorized firearm manufacturing and one count of unauthorized firearm possession.

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The remaining charges were stayed as a result of a plea agreement, the CBSA said in a release.

“CBSA officers remain on alert to seize prohibited firearms and firearm parts,” Brad Wozny, from the CBSA, said in a release.

“This continues to be a top priority for the Agency and an important way we contribute to public safety, protecting the communities we serve on a daily basis.”

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3D Printed Gun Arrests Tripled in Less Than Two Years - 3DPrint.com Investigates - 3DPrint.com

Gun violence is on the rise. Recent events, including mass shootings at an elementary school in Texas, a deadly assault at a medical facility in Oklahoma, and last year’s anti-Semitic rampage at a German synagogue, led to serious concerns surrounding ghost guns, particularly 3D printed ones. Taking these events into account, as well as a cascade of 3D printed gun-related arrests worldwide, several governments are taking measures to restrict privately made firearms without serial numbers.

Specifically, Europol organized a 3D printed firearms conference in the Hague last May (the first one in Europe), while the Biden administration called for an assault weapons ban and other measures to curb gun violence. Undoubtedly, 3D printed guns or gun parts that some people choose to create at home with their machines have increased concerns that homemade 3D guns could live up to their prematurely violent reputation.

How Many People Have Been Arrested for 3D Printed Guns?

In light of these events, 3DPrint.com began exploring recent 3D printed gun incidents and confirmed that over 90 people have been arrested in the last three years. The number of arrests is higher in countries like Canada, the U.S., and Australia, representing 18%, 44%, and 17% out of total arrests, respectively. As we dive more deeply into the emerging trends, it is noticeable that North America leads the arrest statistics, followed by Europe, and then Oceania.

However, it’s important to note that not every country reports all of its arrests, so there will be more than we accounted for. For example, in the U.S., arrest records are public, yet each state can determine whether they want them to be readily accessible. Even in states that consider arrest records to be public information, there may be exceptions, and some will not be released publicly. In countries like Australia, if a case attracts media attention, there is little a defendant can do to avoid the information getting published.

Because ghost guns and 3D printed guns in particular are almost impossible to trace, the job of law enforcement agencies to prosecute them is made even tougher. In the last decade, police forces found out several people were making guns at home with 3D printers as part of organized crime raids or investigations into other criminal activities. For instance, in May 2021, two men and one woman were arrested in the town of Keighley in the United Kingdom as part of an investigation into right-wing terrorism. All three were charged with possessing components of 3D printed weapons, and two were members of an online group where terror manuals and weapons guides were shared among neo-Nazis. As a result, they were all found guilty of terror offenses a year later and convicted.

3D printed gun parts. Image courtesy of Saskatoon Police Service.

The Era of Homemade Firearms

Ever since 2013, when gun-rights activist Cody Wilson built the Liberator, the world’s first-ever 3D printed gun, he launched what would be known as an era of homemade firearms. Using a Stratasys Dimension series 3D printer purchased on eBay, the then law student spend very little money to create the gun, using metal only for the firing pin, which strikes the primer of a cartridge to ignite the charge and fire the weapon.

From the public data available, we have noted that the number of arrests has gone up significantly since 2019. Only 15% of the total arrests for 3D printing guns occurred between 2013 and 2019. In October 2013, a man from Manchester, U.K., was arrested after police suspected he was making 3D printed components for what they called at the time “next-generation weapons.” Thought to be the first-ever seizure of 3D printed gun parts in the U.K. (and most likely the world), these, along with a 3D printer, were discovered during a gang raid as part of Challenger, one of the largest multi-agency operations to target organized crime in that city.

Then, in 2014, a man was arrested in Japan for possessing 3D printed handguns, after five devices were found during a police raid on his house. The 27-year-old college employee from Kawasaki was charged for illegally possessing firearms made with 3D printers, marking the first such case in Japan, a country that takes pride in its low crime rate and has strictly regulated gun ownership.

Several cases followed, including at least five in Australia, eight in the U.S., as well as a few in Europe, including in Sweden and the U.K. But that was before 2020, when the number of arrestees began to increase from just a handful to more than a dozen. The number of arrests then doubled and tripled in 2021 and 2022 respectively, compared to the previous year.

2022: The Year of 3D Printed Gun Arrests

According to the data, 42% of all 3D printed gun-related arrests were in 2022, that’s roughly 44 people arrested. We also estimate that roughly 31% of all arrests occurred in 2021, and 12% in 2020. This jump in the number of 3D printed gun crimes detected through police activity has alerted law enforcement worldwide. During the International Conference on 3D Printed Firearms, organized by Europol and the Dutch National Police in the framework of EMPACT Firearms and hosted at the University of Leiden, some 120 participants from 20 countries addressed the latest challenges that security forces face to counter this threat.

The team leader of Europol’s Analysis Project Weapons and Explosives, Martin van der Meij, said at the conference that there is a growing number of 3D printed weapons being seized in investigations across Europe and that the threat is “very much on Europol’s radar.”

3D printed guns showcased at the International Conference on 3D Printed Firearms. Image courtesy of Europol.

Across the Atlantic, President Joe Biden is trying to persuade a reluctant Congress to tighten gun laws in the aftermath of horrific mass shootings in recent weeks in the U.S. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have already been more than 240 mass shootings this year in the US in which four or more people were shot or killed. That’s not to say that 3D printed guns were involved in all of these events, but they have been found in a few of attackers’ homes in 2022 and earlier.

The U.S. hasn’t passed a major federal gun control measure since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut that left 26 dead. Finding a middle ground to compromise over gun safety legislation will not be easy. In late May, President Joe Biden talked about banning most handguns. Then, on June 2, the House Judiciary Committee approved a wide-ranging package of gun control legislation called the “Protecting Our Kids Act.” The eight-bill package includes calls to raise the age limits on semi-automatic rifle purchases from 18 to 21 years old; creating a grant program to buy back large-capacity magazines; establishing voluntary, safe practices for firearms storage; and building on executive measures to ban bump stock devices and so-called ghost guns made with 3D printing.

Earlier this year, the Biden Administration said it would introduce ghost gun reforms to the 3D printing industry. Known as “Final Rule 2021R-05F,” this rule redefines firearm parts and bans the business of manufacturing the most accessible ghost guns. In addition, the rule will affect upper receivers, suppressors, and CAD files for 3D printing. Even simple marketing materials—like instructions for how to assemble an 80 lower jig or how to mill an 80 percent lower receiver—may be rendered illegal at the sole discretion of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) on a case by case basis.

Whether partly or entirely manufactured with a 3D printer, these types of “ghost guns” are becoming a headache for many law enforcement agencies worldwide. Especially since many of the people arrested have been directly related to white supremacist and neo-Nazi movements. However, it will be difficult to curtail 3D printed guns, mainly since any efforts to regulate or even ban 3D guns must satisfy constitutional scrutiny under both the First and Second Amendments. So, even though the debate over 3D printed guns is far from over, the striking number of arrests in recent years is drawing attention from lawmakers and security forces, but where that trail will lead, we still don’t know.

Correction August 11, 2022: A previous version of this article began with the sentence “3D printed gun violence is on the rise. ” The phrase “3D printed” has been removed so as not to conflate the violence committed by some individuals who have owned ghost guns, including 3D printed firearms, with 3D printing itself.

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Tagged with: 3d guns • 3D printed firearms • 3d printed gun • 3d printed gun parts • 3d printed guns • arrest • canadian 3d printed gun • danger of 3d printed guns • Europol • law enforcement • Liberator 3d printed firearm • police • President Biden

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The other day we went to visit one of our clients, who has owned a large fleet of Zenit 3D printers since the end of 2017. It became interesting what they were doing.

Mayak-R is located in Zheleznodorozhny town near Moscow. The manager of the company, Alexander, took us inside, and the first thing that caught my eye was the neatly arranged in width and length of the premises and carefully numbered ZENIT 3D printers. There are nineteen of them. nine0003

It turned out that Mayak-R is a highly specialized production company serving the needs of one technical giant (and several slightly smaller manufacturers) in Russia for the production of three-dimensional illuminated letters for retail outlets. These are the same letters that are lit at the entrance and commercial equipment in official stores.

The process goes like this. A specialist within the company prepares 3D models of letters, then sends them for printing. The body of each letter is printed on a 3D printer (one piece per table). At first, employees tried to manage printing from one computer with all printers at once. But then they came to the conclusion that printing from a card is more convenient and faster. Each letter takes approximately one hour and forty minutes to print. After that, the workers (girls do this painstaking work) manually fix the wires inside. And a white plastic panel is placed on the front of the letter (made of a material similar to plexiglass, it is cut here in the company, on two huge lasers), and the letter is ready. nine0003

When we asked how the company understood that it was necessary to buy exactly 19 (not 17, not 20, not 23, but 19) printers, Alexander told us. “The tech giant's brand name has seven letters, we needed to print three sets at once, so we decided to buy 21 printers at first. But when we bought nineteen, we realized that we were coping.” During peak orders last December, and expected this December as well, the entire fleet of printers is working around the clock, as well as employees of the company. nine0003

Orders are calm now, so only three printers were working with us, and the manager was able to easily give us time.

By the way, all letters are printed from black PLA plastic, brand SEM. Alexander said that a lot of types and brands were tested, they settled on this one as the most suitable for the needs of production.

Wanhao, dusty and lonely, stands in the corner of the room. The leader told us that at first there were thoughts of buying Chinese. But relations with this printer did not work out, and the company also understood the importance of Russian technical support and the possibility of promptly resolving issues with spare parts. nine0003

At the beginning of the journey, the Mayak-R company acquired Zenit, tested it as a workhorse, and after that a year ago decided to purchase the entire fleet of ZENIT 3D printers.

As for the improvements in the settings - all letters are printed at a speed twice as fast as recommended in the instructions, but the printers cope, and the customer is satisfied with the final quality.

We thank Mayak-R for an interesting tour of the production.

Summing up this case, we can conclude that Zenit 3D printers are rightfully reliable workhorses with the ability to work 24/7.

By the way, the warranty for ZENIT 3D printers is 3 YEARS. This can be said to be a record among all 3D printers on the Russian market.

You can buy ZENIT 3D printers in our company: https://3dtool.ru/product/3d-printer-zenit/

There is also a version of the ZENIT 3D printer with two extruders: https://3dtool.ru/product/3d -printer-zenit-duo/

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an invention of mankind capable of advancing areas such as prosthetics, art, astronautics to a qualitatively new level. Despite the many obvious advantages, the public has long been rather skeptical about this technology. As it turned out, in vain. nine0003

The first 3D printer was created in 1986 by American researcher Chuck Hull. His compatriot scientists recreated the heart of a rat, which was subsequently successfully transplanted into an animal. A little later, the ability of a 3D printer to reproduce skin, vertebral discs, and cartilage was revealed. Many people have found hope for a healthy future. It's amazing how a technology that has been in development for a couple of decades solves problems that scientists have pondered for centuries.

It is likely that 3D printing technology in the near future can drastically affect the real estate market, since it has already created is a real residential building in the Moscow region, which turned out to be 70% cheaper than ordinary ready-made housing.

On the other hand, experts talk about the possible negative impact of a 3D printer on human health: the high temperature of UV lamps, the possibility of damage to eyesight and the inhalation of harmful fumes require special safety precautions.

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For five years now, files for downloading drawings of parts of real firearms to be printed on a 3D printer have been distributed, seized, banned and rise again, like a Phoenix bird from the ashes, on the Web. nine0003

Cody Wilson, a 27-year-old Texas libertarian crypto-anarchist, first stirred the public in May 2013 by publishing files that could make anyone with a 3D printer, from music school student to serial killer, a full-fledged firearm.

Four days after the blueprints went online, the US Defense Trade Enforcement Administration ordered Wilson to remove them on the basis of the arms export law. Cody complied. And yet, already in the first two days after publication, the files were downloaded about 100 thousand times , having received quite predictable distribution - network users continue to share torrent copies to this day.

Wilson insists that publishing blueprints of 3D weapons on the Internet does not fall under the definition of weapons export. He does not consider himself a violator of the law, referring to the first and second amendments of the US Constitution.

In 2014, Japanese resident Yoshitomo Imura was found guilty of making two firearms at home, posting a video detailing the process online, and sentenced to two years' imprisonment . The lawyer's arguments that his client simply did not know about the ban had no effect.

According to habr, at some point, the US Department of Defense and the State Department legalized 3D models of weapons. For several days, their distribution was legal. Perhaps last year's Massachusetts high school tragedy, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza gunned down 12 children and 6 adults, hastened Wilson's initiatives to circumvent federal gun bans. nine0003

The issue of legalization of 3D weapons in the United States was considered in court. The court ruled that the ban violated the rights of the creator of the drawings to express themselves. Defense Distributed, founded by Wilson, announced the start of the " era of downloadable guns", when blueprints for printing handguns and rifles can be legally downloaded online.

depositphotos

The debut of Defense Distributed materials was already legally scheduled for August 1, but the day before, the Washington State Federal Court ruled to temporarily block the publication of instructions. RBC reports that nine states have filed a lawsuit against the Donald Trump administration and Defense Distributed to ban the distribution of blueprints. nine0003

As we remember, during the presidency of Barack Obama, at all levels, there was a reverently strict attitude towards the weapons that citizens have, which has been characteristic of Americans since time immemorial. But one day, Cody Wilson was not even given the 3D printer he had already paid for , after learning about his alarming passion for weapons.

As for the current president of the United States, in one of his tweets, as if in contrast to his predecessor, he makes it clear how indifferent he is to what is happening, which causes a wave of indignation among Democrats. nine0003

“Already discussed 3-D weapons with NRA. It does not play a special role!

Defense Distributed's development was based on the FP-45 Liberator , a single-shot pistol with the simplest design possible during World War II (the Allies dropped these pistols from the air on the territory of occupied France). Cody worked on it for over a year.

This pistol allowed two shots to be fired before the barrel burst. Over time, the technology was improved, and in the latest tests, the Liberator demonstrated 10 shots in a row. Also among the drawings are details of the AR-15 rifle used in the United States during mass executions. Although the details are subject to printing on a printer, even visually assembled pistols and rifles are almost do not differ from the "real" .

Wilson, being a radical anarchist, expresses the hope that putting his plans into practice will reduce the role of the state in the private life of Americans, if not the entire population of the globe.

Opinions are divided. Some Americans claim that the unsealed weapon is no more dangerous than the usual one, which, by the way, is also available to almost all US citizens. The thirst for the legalization of drawings is due, rather, to a heightened sense of justice and faith in their rights guaranteed by the Constitution. nine0003

3D weapon blueprint files appeared as book on Amazon. Blueprints in this format have not yet been banned, so the confrontation continues.

“I bought it! I may not use it, but if I help give the middle finger to the government, it's worth my two dollars.”

Others are concerned that metal detectors don't pick up unsealed weapons and they're not registered anywhere. Not to mention the fact that people with a criminal record, mental disabilities, or simply bad intentions will have access to the drawings on an equal basis with others. nine0003

Some of the outraged people enter into discussions and furiously make such arguments, while someone laughs it off, expressing their position in memes:

Cody, wanting to reach a compromise with the authorities and, apparently, with himself, included in the design of the striker, which was used as an iron nail. Thus, the weapon printed and assembled by him - as well as by all those who also insert a metal part - will still be recognized by security systems. Of course, there are no guarantees that owners of 3D rifles and pistols will do this. Wired, in turn, included Wilson in their list of 15 most dangerous people in the world.

According to Forbes, Cody is aware that his invention could be used for murder, violence and robbery, but does not consider such prospects to be a good enough reason to complete the work. According to him, there are any books in the library that can make a bomb, so people should have certain obligations to freely exchange ideas .

Some experts are firmly convinced that this type of weapon will not take a leading position among the masses in the near future. So far, 3D printers have not become widespread due to their high cost. But what will happen in 5-10 years? For example, Maria Butina, coordinator of the Right to Arms movement, suggests that over time, such printers will be located in almost every office. nine0003

Cody Wilson, creator of 3D weapons:

If one person is allowed to own a weapon, it should be available to everyone else.