

He says: "It's an emerging trend and one that our staff are aware of. For example, officers will know to spot brightly coloured guns or those that may look like a toy. Image: Det Chief Supt Nick Blackburn reveals police are working to intercept 3D-printed guns before they reach the streets of Londonĭetective Chief Superintendent Nick Blackburn says his colleagues are being trained to look out for guns that do not look like conventional firearms. Many of them distribute these design files for free, while others, such as Print Shoot Repeat who we spoke to for this article, only publish content showing ever-evolving printed guns.

These hobbyists make designs and film themselves testing the weapons - including doing push-ups on top of the guns to show how sturdy they are. They are treating printed firearms as an "emerging trend" that the force are actively monitoring.Ī community of mostly American and mostly male 3D-printed gun enthusiasts has sprung up online. The Metropolitan Police have told Sky News in an exclusive interview that they have recovered four 3D-printed guns since 2018.

Those who create and share the designs for these firearms have thousands of followers on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.Īlthough popular in the US, where they are legal, 3D-printed guns are beginning to appear more frequently in the UK. They can be downloaded in as little as three clicks from mainstream social media sites such as YouTube.ģD-printed gun technology has rapidly advanced in recent years - with a range of printable semi-automatic rifles, carbines and pistols available. The files needed to print a gun are not buried on the dark web.
