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Police confiscated more than 1,000 guns and firearm components in a sweep focusing on the circulation of illegal weapons in Australia and New Zealand.

International Effort Culminates in Apprehensions and Recoveries

The week-long cross-border effort resulted in more than 180 arrests, based on statements from customs agents, and the recovery of 281 privately manufactured firearms and parts, among them products produced using additive manufacturing devices.

State-Level Finds and Detentions

Across the state of NSW, law enforcement discovered numerous three-dimensional printers alongside glock-style pistols, magazines and custom-made holders, among other items.

State law enforcement stated they arrested 45 individuals and confiscated 518 guns and gun components in the course of the operation. Multiple suspects were accused of violations such as the creation of prohibited guns without a licence, bringing in banned items and having a computer file for manufacture of guns – a crime in some states.

“Those additively manufactured parts may look bright, but they are serious items. After construction, they are transformed into deadly arms – totally unlawful and very risky,” a senior police official stated in a statement. “For this purpose we’re targeting the entire network, from fabrication tools to imported parts.

“Citizen protection forms the basis of our weapon control program. Firearm users need to be licensed, guns must be documented, and conformity is absolute.”

Rising Trend of Privately Made Weapons

Data gathered during an investigation indicates that during the previous five years in excess of 9,000 weapons have been reported stolen, and that this year, police conducted confiscations of DIY guns in nearly all administrative division.

Legal documents indicate that the digital designs currently produced domestically, fuelled by an internet group of creators and advocates that support an “complete liberty to own and carry weapons”, are more dependable and lethal.

Over the past few years the development has been from “very novice, very low-powered, almost a one-shot weapon” to superior firearms, police reported at the time.

Customs Seizures and Online Sales

Parts that cannot be reliably fabricated are often ordered from digital stores abroad.

A high-ranking customs agent stated that more than 8,000 illegal guns, components and attachments had been found at the frontier in the last financial year.

“Overseas firearm parts may be assembled with additional privately manufactured parts, creating dangerous and untraceable weapons appearing on our communities,” the agent added.

“Many of these goods are offered by digital stores, which may lead individuals to incorrectly assume they are not controlled on import. A lot of these websites simply place orders from abroad on the buyer’s behalf without any considerations for border rules.”

Further Recoveries Across Various Regions

Confiscations of products such as a projectile launcher and flame-thrower were also made in the state of Victoria, Western Australia, the island state and the the NT, where police reported they discovered several DIY guns, in addition to a additive manufacturing device in the isolated community of a specific location.