Ghost guns that are 3D-printed are being made from plans readily available online, experts say.
A growing online gun rights movement known as '3D2A,' and the accessibility of 3D printers, have sparked an explosive growth of ghost guns in New York City — and could soon spread across the nation, the New York City Police Department said.
Ghost guns are mostly assembled from kits composed of separate parts ordered online, with no registration information, making them practically untraceable. But over the last year, engineers and hobbyists have upped the ante, and law enforcement has seen an increase in the use of 3D printers to create almost every part of the weapon. The plans are readily available online, with engineers competing with each other to both make ever better designs and to circumvent emerging legislation designed to crack down on ghost guns.'We see the speed and tension that's picking up within those communities on the internet and we definitely see this as something that is going to grow into something we're trying to stay ahead of,' said Courtney Nilan, the NYPD's ghost gun czar, who said she is paying particularly close attention to the 3D2A movement.'3D' refers to the 3D printers used to make the guns, and '2A' stands for the Second Amendment. The movement's adherents include members of the far left, far right and anarchists, and it's been difficult to pin them down to a specific ideology beyond a push for absolute freedom to make ghost guns, regardless of how powerful.One of the more recent models of 3D-printed ghost guns is known as 'Not a Glock,' which has a feature that can turn it into an automatic weapon, firing multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger.Some of these 3D printed guns and add-on parts have already been used in high-profile crimes. When UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in December 2024, prosecutors say alleged gunman Luigi Mangione used a ghost gun with a 3D-printed silencer. Mangione has since become a sort of folk hero in the 3D2A online community.A massive movementThe number of 3D-printed ghost guns recovered by local law enforcement around the country is small compared to ghost guns assembled from kits and ordered by mail. But the prevalence of 3D-printed firearms has been surging. More than 30 3D-printed guns were recovered in 2020. By 2024, that figure had climbed above 300, according to gun-control group Everytown for Gun Safety.By comparison, 19,000 ghost guns total, mostly assembled from kits, were recovered by law enforcement in 2021 alone.But experts on the hunt for ghost guns are most worried about what 3D printers will do next.Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, whose office recovered 42% of the ghost guns found in New York City last year, said 3D-printed guns can be made, 'almost anywhere at any time with an item that you can easily buy anywhere.'3D printers are now in most city schools, and they can be purchased for as little as $200 online.'These guns are being used more and more in other types of crimes, drive-bys, robberies and homicides,' Katz said.New York has some of the strongest gun control laws in the nation, but 3D-printed ghost guns are still finding their way onto city streets. Nilan, who serves as deputy chief of intelligence and leads a unit of detectives dedicated to tracking down ghost guns in the city, pointed to the increasing frequency of the recovery of ghost guns as proof of the accessibility of making and producing these firearms.'They're circumventing a lot of these laws,' Nilan said, partly due to the 3D printers and a growing online gun movement called 3D2A.The 3D2A community often spouts anti-government views and presents itself as defenders of personal liberties and the Second Amendment. 'It's a massive movement,' Nilan said, adding the online group seems to be a place that attracts people with extreme views. Some are engineers and all are dedicated, Nilan said, to working 'together to perfect a design for a new model 3D-printed firearm.'Many 3D2A adherents believe the freedom to 3D print should be maximized. Loosely assembled online, 3D2A uses a firearm design platform known as 'The Gatalog,' according to the Global Network on Extremism and Technology, a research group based out of King's College London in the United Kingdom. Researchers said 3D2A community members 'taunt and poke fun at those who attempt to dismantle their underground weapons development.''Readily Available'Guns can be built using a 3D printer almost anywhere, said Victor Cardona, a former New York cop who now provides training on issues surrounding ghost guns. One 2023 study found more than 2,100 3D-printed firearm plans online, including plans housed on mainstream platforms like Google Drive and the software development platform GitHub.'These plans to print these guns are readily available,' Cardona said.In addition to having access to the plans, someone could easily purchase a 3D printer to set up at home, with prices ranging from $200 to $3,000. The gun design file would then just need to be downloaded and sent to print. Newer 3D printers are also now capable of printing more parts than older models, said Cardone, such as springs, 'moving more and more away from actual metal components' that would have been necessary in previous years.Young people could also potentially have access to the plans and the printers in schools. Through pop culture, they can be inspired to try to mimic and make guns seen in video games, on social media and on television, Cardona said.The easy access for young people is apparent to law enforcement trying to keep New York City safe, said Nilan. More than 20% of ghost guns made by 3D printers are found in the hands or homes of those under 18, Nilan said. 'You need to know what your children are doing online. And I know we hear that for so many different realms, but this is very important. This is very important for safety,' she said.
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