The government’s proposed ghost gun ban has been described as years too late by a gun control advisor.
Peter Squires, a criminology professor and member of an advisory board to the National Crime Agency (NCA), said the threat of 3D printed firearms has been known since 2014.
It comes as the government announced measures to criminalise the possession of blueprints for 3D guns.
Squires said: “It’s well overdue, really.
“We’ve known since 2014 the potential of the internet supply of 3D printed gun design files.
“We’re coming to the party nine years late.”
The government’s proposed legislation aims to close a legal loophole that means it is currently legal to possess and share blueprints to print 3D guns.
Designs for untraceable lethal weapons can currently be shared and downloaded legally with guides available on social media platforms.
Squires said: “I thought the police were quite slow with getting to grips with the 3D printing threat.
“There was nothing much happening until about 2019, then they began to collaborate with other policing partners in Europe and gradually, a picture started to emerge of 3D printed firearms cropping up all over.
“That was the time, on a number of occasions, I was talking about closing the door after the horse has bolted.
“Finally, they’ve taken the point and I’ve been supporting this legislation.”
Since 2021, the NCA has reported a 733% increase in the number of cases involving the seizure of 3D printed firearms and components during targeted police searches.
In the US, a ghost gun was allegedly used in the killing of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson.
Luigi Mangione, 26, has pleaded not guilty to murder and terrorism charges.
Last month, it was reported that 11 UK terror plot cases since 2020 have involved 3D guns.
MI5’s National Protective Security Agency said it was likely that 3D-printed weapons presented a persistent terrorist threat to the country.
In October, Jack Robinson was jailed for six years and six months at Winchester Crown Court after trying to use a 3D printer to make a semi-automatic pistol.
Sentencing, the judge said Robinson had an interest in racist and anti-Semitic material and was a danger to the public.
Ten days after Robinson’s conviction, a far-right extremist was jailed for 12 years after a 3D printed firearm was found in his home.
Gabriel Budasz was found guilty of terror offences after posting videos of an extreme right-wing nature on social media.
Police also seized books, masks and memorabilia of an extreme right-wing nature, as well as a 3D-printed firearm from his home in August 2023.
Squires said: “This is evolving fast, the original pistol made of 3D resin was a small clunky handgun.
“Within ten years, we’ve come to an assault rifle and the new generation ones are even more fearsome.”
Meanwhile, The Times reported the NCA is warning universities to be aware of students with an interest in 3D printers.
In an official bulletin, the organisation said young people could inadvertently stray into illegal or harmful activity by printing a 3D firearm.
Picture credit: TSA.gov via Wikimedia Commons
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