Law enforcement leans on 3D-printer industry to help thwart machine gun conversion devices
WASHINGTON — Justice Department officials are turning to the 3D printing industry to help stop the spread of tiny pieces of plastic that turn guns into weapons. illegal homemade machine guns on streets across America.
The growing threat of what are known as machine gun conversion devices requires “immediate and sustained attention,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Friday. That means finding ways to stop criminals from misusing technology to make the devices, she said.
“Law enforcement cannot do this alone,” Monaco told a gathering in Washington of federal law enforcement officials, members of the 3D printing industry and academia. “We need to engage software developers, technology experts and leaders in the 3D printing industry to find solutions in this fight.”
Devices that convert firearms into fully automatic weapons have spread “like wildfire” thanks to advances in 3-D printing technology, said Steve Dettelbach, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. His agency reported a 570% increase in the number of conversion devices collected by police departments between 2017 and 2021.
“More and more of these devices were sold via the internet and social media, and more and more they were actually printed by low-cost 3D printers in homes and garages around the world,” Dettelbach said.
The pieces of plastic or metal are considered illegal machine guns under federal law, but are so small that they risk going undetected by law enforcement. Guns with conversion devices have been used in several mass shootings, including one that left four people dead in a Sweet Sixteen Party in Alabama last year.
The devices “can turn a street corner into a combat zone and devastate entire communities,” Monaco said.
Monaco also announced several other efforts Friday to crack down on the devices, including a national training initiative for law enforcement and prosecutors. The deputy attorney general is also launching a commission designed to identify trends and gather intelligence.