Countless numbers of people are taking advantage of 3d printers and their capabilities and seeing what they can come up with.
Some use 3d printers to make certain mechanical parts for holding stuff together, others use them to express their creativity. Some use them to make prototypes and others have some more rather ‘dangerous’ ideas.
We all know by now that there are next to no limitations to what you can create when it comes to using a 3d printer. We have seen 3d printed organs, photographs that have come to life and even liveable homes just ready to move into and it’s all thanks to 3d printing technology.
There are some people out there who have other plans and uses for 3d printers and its limitless possibilities. One student from the UK had plans of his own, and that was to successfully manufacture a gun.
Tendai Muswere, 26, a student who lives in London, pleaded guilty to the charge of designing and manufacturing a 3D printed gun at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday according to The Guardian.
Police officers discovered gun components that had been 3d printed when they raided Muswere’s home on a drug warrant.
When authorities conducted a second raid on Muswere’s home, they found more 3D-printed gun parts. Muswere claimed that he printed the firearm for a “dystopian” film project at his university, although he did not provide any more details about the project. Police also believe that he planned to line the barrels of the 3D-printed guns with steel in order to make them lethal.
If the police weren’t fortunate enough to discover that Muswere was leveraging 3d printers and their technology, Muswere’s endeavours may have taken a dangerous direction. Experts warn however that 3d printed guns are more likely to backfire and injure the person using it than it is to work properly
The student from the U.K claimed that he was unaware that the weapon was capable of being fired and that the reason he had printed a gun in the first place, was for a university project. Police went through Muswere’s browser history and were quick to discover that the student had been viewing online tutorials which gave him instructions on how to successfully print a workable gun.
“This conviction, which I believe is the first of its kind relating to the use of a 3D printer to produce a firearm, has prevented a viable gun from getting into the hand[s] of criminals and is an excellent example of great partnership working between detectives, neighbourhood police and our forensic colleagues,” Jonathan Roberts, who was the lead investigator had told the publication.
This particular case should be an eye-opener for everyone. 3d printed guns have an extremely strong possibility of becoming a dangerous issue on the streets in the future. Anybody with a 3d printer and basic computer knowledge can manufacture their own fully functioning gun without needing a licence.
It is a scary reality.
It is unknown where the U.K student was able to find the blueprints for a gun, but there is no doubt that he was able to do it. That’s the next scary part of this threatening technological movement.
There’s not really anyone that can stop guns being printed. The plans are out in the open on the internet. People with access to these blueprints can use them to print firearms and maybe more.
Despite the concerns surrounding printed weapons, creating a 3D printed gun is not as easy as downloading a single file and letting the printer do the rest. Not all of the components of a gun can be manufactured purely through these means, and law enforcement in both the US and UK are working tirelessly to crack down on the problem before it becomes widespread.
