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BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Print and shoot: how 3D-printed guns are spreading online
3D-printed guns could become "the weapon of choice" for criminals and violent extremists around the world, an expert has told the BBC. These DIY, untraceable firearms have been recovered in several recent criminal cases, including the alleged use of a partially 3D-printed gun in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Trending has investigated the global spread of 3D-printed guns across social media platforms including Telegram, Facebook and Instagram, as well as websites offering how-to guides. 3D-printed guns, often described as a type of "ghost" gun, are untraceable firearms that can be assembled using a 3D printer, downloadable blueprints and some basic materials. Designed to evade gun-control laws, the technology has advanced rapidly in the last decade, with the latest models capable of firing multiple rounds without their plastic components to Nick Suplina of Everytown, a US-based gun control organisation, 3D-printed guns could become the "weapon of choice" for people planning acts of violence: "The materials have gotten better, the cost has gone down, and the ease of access of these blueprints is at a high," he said. BBC Trending's investigation began with advertisements for guns on Instagram and Facebook. In October 2024, the Tech Transparency Project, a non-profit that monitors technology companies, found hundreds of gun ads - including for 3D-printed and other ghost guns - appearing on Meta's platforms, in violation of its declined to comment on the findings at the time. Several months later, BBC Trending found similar gun adverts still showing as active in Meta's ad database. Many of these gun adverts directed potential customers to Telegram or WhatsApp channels. On Telegram, we found channels displaying a variety of guns for sale. Some of these appeared to be 3D-printed. One Telegram account with over 1,000 subscribers claimed to ship weapons Trending contacted the account, which called itself "Jessy", to confirm whether it would be willing to break the law by shipping 3D-printed guns to the UK. Within an hour, Jessy offered us a Liberator or a Glock switch. A glock switch (also known as an auto sear) is a small, sometimes 3D-printed part that converts a pistol into an automatic Liberator, designed in 2013 by "crypto-anarchist" Cody Wilson, is the world's first widely available 3D-printed gun, capable of firing a single claimed he could smuggle the weapon through UK customs, asked for payment of £160 in bitcoin, then suggested a bank transfer to a UK account we couldn't we later contacted Jessy, identifying ourselves as the BBC, he acknowledged that selling weapons in the UK is illegal but sounded unapologetic."I run my business, sell some straps [slang for weapons] online," he said. We did not proceed with the transaction to test Jessy's claims. While his casual attitude suggested he might have been a scammer, his ability to advertise on Meta and operate on Telegram highlights apparent loopholes that real gun dealers could contacted, Meta told the BBC that the adverts we highlighted had been "automatically disabled in line with our policies", and that inclusion in its ad library "doesn't necessarily mean the ad is still live or visible".Telegram said that Jessy's account had been proactively removed for breaching its policies. A spokesperson added: "The sale of weapons is explicitly forbidden by Telegram's terms of service and is removed whenever discovered. Moderators empowered with custom AI and machine learning tools proactively monitor public parts of the platform and accept reports in order to remove millions of pieces of harmful content each day, including the sale of weapons."Concerningly though, people seeking 3D-printed guns don't need to buy readymade ones through social media. They can assemble their own. Models like the FGC-9 are designed using only 3D-printed plastic and repurposed metal components, with no commercially available gun parts required."You are essentially becoming a DIY gunsmith," says Dr Rajan Basra, a researcher at King's College London. However, "It's not as easy as printing off a sheet of A4 paper in your office printer."As the BBC has previously reported, there are websites offering free step-by-step guides and downloadable blueprints for building 3D-printed such guide was written by Matthew Larosiere, a gun rights attorney in Florida. He's associated with the global pro-3D-printed gun community, which has many members in the USA who see the Second Amendment right to bear arms as a human Trending challenged him about why he is sharing information to help people build a lethal replied: "It's just information. It's ones and zeros. The fact that the information has a use case that makes you uncomfortable, I understand and I sympathise with that, but that doesn't make it correct to say it's anything more than information."Asked about the risk of this "information" being used in a school shooting or massacre, he replied: "I thank God that has not happened." He cited Myanmar as a country where, in his view, 3D-printed guns have served a positive cause. Myanmar is currently the only known case of 3D-printed guns being used in active military conflict. The FGC-9's use by resistance fighters against the junta has been widely as BBC Burmese's Hnin Mo discovered, many of these groups have since stopped using 3D-printed guns. This is despite resistance forces producing hundreds of FGC-9s in 2022 and 2023, which cost over ten times less than machine guns on the black rebel leaders Hnin Mo spoke to cited the junta's tight control over imports of essential materials like glue and metal. Additionally, these groups now have more conventional weapons at their disposal, such as RPGs or machine Myanmar example demonstrates the limitations of current 3D-printed guns for military use. But globally, their spread is clear. Several countries are considering laws to criminalise the possession of blueprints. There are also calls for 3D printer manufacturers to block the printing of gun parts, in the same way that conventional printers restrict the printing of currency. But whether such measures can be effective remains to be reporting by Hnin Mo, BBC Burmese For more on this story:BBC World Service goes inside the world of 3D printed Print and Shoot - the global spread of 3D-printed gunsListen to BBC Trending: Print and shoot: The rise of 3D-printed guns
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Strong gun laws in California yield lowest gun deaths rates, Newsom says
( — Gov. Gavin Newsom released a statement stating that California leads the nation in strong gun safety laws, correlating with many lives that were saved. Newsom stated that year after year, California has been ranked as the number one state in the country for its strong gun safety laws, along with some of the lowest rates of gun deaths, according to information from Giffords Law Center and Everytown for Gun Safety. In other states, where officials have passed gun safety laws, fewer people have died from gun violence, Newsom said. Texas and Florida, which have been ranked 32nd and 21st, respectively, in gun law strength, had firearm mortality rates more than 50% higher than California. Newsom said that according to the California Department of Justice Office of Gun Violence Prevention, if the gun death rate in the rest of the U.S. matched the state's over the past decade, there would have been almost 140,000 lives saved, and potentially hundreds of thousands of people would sustain gunshot injuries. California gun control bill that could ban popular Glock pistol sales moves forward 'Strong gun laws save lives,' said Newsom. 'California has reduced its gun violence rate because of its leading gun safety laws.' California was the first state in the nation to have a 'Red Flag Law' in 2016, according to Newsom. The law builds on a bedrock of available protection orders – nine in total – that would prohibit firearm possession for people subject to orders ranging from domestic violence and workplace harassment. In the first three years of the law, the protection order was used to prevent 58 cases of threatened mass shooting, according to Newsom. Newsom said, 'There have been significant increases in utilization of GVROs – increasing by 118% – from 2020 to 2023.' Newsom stated that he signed a bipartisan legislative package to further reinforce California's nation-leading gun laws and prevent incidents of mass violence. 'California won't wait until the next school shooting or mass shooting to act. In the absence of congressional action, our state is once again leading the way by strengthening our nation-leading gun laws. Data shows that California's gun safety laws are effective in preventing gun-related deaths, which makes the ongoing inaction and obstruction by politicians in the pocket of the gun lobby even more reprehensible.' Gov. Gavin Newsom Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Standoff over red flag hearing continues in Maine Legislature, may go to court
Jun. 6—A partisan standoff over whether to hold a public hearing on a citizen-initiated red flag referendum is likely to stretch into next week's legislative sessions and could wind up in court. Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle, tried late Thursday to force Democrats to schedule a public hearing on the referendum, proposing a series of floor motions in the Senate, all of which were rejected. He said Friday that he intends to introduce additional motions next week if Democrats still haven't agreed to hold a hearing on the initiative. "I don't think this thing is over yet," Stewart said. "If I had to wager a bet, there are some other motions I'm intending to make when we get back next week, assuming they still haven't done the right thing." The red flag proposal, if passed by voters, would make it easier to confiscate the guns of a person in crisis by allowing family members to initiate the process and by removing a required mental health evaluation. The proposal came forward in the wake of the mass shooting in Lewiston in October 2023 and is certain to generate intense debate over gun rights and restrictions ahead of the November vote. Meanwhile, the impasse over a public hearing on the proposal has added to tensions at the State House as lawmakers are in the busy final days of the legislative session. Republicans point to a 2019 law that requires public hearings for citizen initiatives that are headed toward statewide referendum votes, unless lawmakers formally vote to waive the requirement. Such hearings have been held on other citizen proposals, but not all: A 2021 citizen initiative never received a hearing or the required waiver and was still sent to referendum and passed by voters. Democrats have so far not backed down, arguing in part that the Maine Constitution does not require the hearing and also citing legislative rules. Gun rights supporters who are opposed to the referendum proposal are pointing to the state law and threatening legal action against Democratic leaders, with one top advocate saying Friday that they have attorneys drafting a lawsuit. "When there's a state law on the books the Legislature can't just ignore it, so that will be the basis for the challenge," said David Trahan, executive director of the Sportsmen's Alliance of Maine, an advocacy group for gun owners and sportsmen that is working on the lawsuit. Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, which initiated the citizen's referendum, said in a written statement Friday that the group is "happy to debate this issue any time" and accused Republicans of playing "political tricks" by waiting until the end of the session to raise questions. "Now the National Rifle Association has joined them, parachuting into our state to muddy our Democratic process," Palmer said. "While they are doing that, we are focusing on the next five months, where we will be having this conversation publicly, talking to voters throughout the state, and in November every Maine voter will have the chance to make their voices heard." Citizens initiatives are brought forward by voters though a signature-gathering and application process. While the Legislature can choose to enact the proposals, they typically send them to statewide referendum votes. Maine's Legislature held a public hearing last month on the only other citizen initiative currently pending. That proposal would require photo identification prior to voting in Maine and put new restrictions on absentee voting. It also is headed for a fall referendum vote. Lawmakers also held a public hearing last year on the only citizen-initiated referendum they received in 2024, LD 2232, to limit contributions to political action committees that make independent expenditures. All four citizen initiatives in 2023 also received hearings. Legislative records, however, show that no public hearing or vote to waive the hearing was held for an initiative in 2021 that was aimed at stopping the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line through western Maine. At a committee work session on that initiative, a legislative analyst did not address whether lawmakers needed to hold a public hearing but did note some unique circumstances. Two weeks after the initiative was handed to the Legislature, lawmakers adjourned and the bill was carried over to a special session. Sen. Dick Bradstreet, R-Vassalboro, the sponsor of the 2019 law to require public hearings, said Friday that the circumstances of the 2021 case were different because lawmakers are supposed to hold the hearing in the same session in which they receive it and in that case they had just received the proposal when they ended up adjourning. He said the reason no hearing was held in 2021 was "kind of a technicality." LD 1378, the bill resulting from the red flag citizen initiative, was transmitted to the Legislature on March 27, during the current session that's scheduled to end June 18. "You really can't compare the two because in this case they're choosing not to have the hearing, even though the legal requirements are there," Bradstreet said. "Before, they could say they weren't in the same session. ... Now they're kind of flouting the law." Bradstreet said he didn't recall any outcry over the lack of a public hearing on the 2021 measure, but said there was less knowledge of the relatively new law at the time. He said he put forward the bill in 2019 because of a handful of initiatives that had been put forward around that time that were generating a lot of advertising. DISCERNING FACT FROM FICTION "I thought, 'How can people discern fact from fiction?'" Bradstreet said. "The only way to do that would be some type of hearing where people could question what the initiative does and what some repercussions would be, and where both sides would have a chance to present their arguments without the propaganda." In a late-night session Thursday, Senate President Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, rejected a proposal from Stewart to consider a formal waiver of the public hearing requirement to comply with state law, saying that his proposal was "not properly before the body." Daughtry said the Legislature's rules take precedence over statutes passed by prior groups of lawmakers regarding legislative proceedings and that Stewart's motion was asking for lawmakers to take an "unnecessary vote" on the citizens initiative. Daughtry also noted that the initiative was still before the Judiciary Committee, where she said it could have further action. A spokesperson for Daughtry and Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, the Senate chair of the committee, said Friday that they would not comment on the calls for a public hearing. Rep. Amy Kuhn, D-Falmouth, the House chair of the committee, did not respond to a voicemail message or email. Trahan, from the Sportsmen's Alliance of Maine, said his group in conjunction with Gun Owners of Maine and the National Rifle Association will focus their lawsuit on the 2019 law and argue that lawmakers need to either hold the hearing or vote by a two-thirds majority to waive it. The group is also fundraising to support the effort. Trahan said that just because lawmakers "got away with" not holding a hearing on the 2021 initiative, it does not mean it's not required in the law. "Why don't they just make this easy and hold the public hearing?" he said. "There's nothing to hide. Good public discourse adds to the debate." Copy the Story Link
LBCI
29-05-2025
- General
- LBCI
LBCI's Nada Andraos makes first appearance after stray bullet injury, urges return of state authority
Lebanese journalist and senior LBCI reporter Nada Andraos made her first public appearance after being struck by a stray bullet, expressing gratitude for her recovery and calling for the return of state authority in Lebanon. Speaking on LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show, Andraos expressed gratitude for being alive and used the moment to highlight the growing dangers faced by civilians due to lawlessness. "I hope the state's authority returns," she said, in a clear call for stronger governance and public safety. Andraos, a senior reporter, talk show host, and news anchor, was injured by a stray bullet in her thigh while leaving Tripoli after covering the municipal and mukhtar elections there. Her case drew public sympathy and reignited debate around gun control and the state's role in ensuring security.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
New technology helps Lincoln County deputies solve crimes, keep guns off the street
LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — New technology in Lincoln County is helping deputies solve crimes and get guns off the streets. It's a tiny camera with big power. 'It's been extremely helpful as of lately,' said Det. Jake Weathers with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. 'It kind of goes back to you don't know what you did without them.' They're called license plate readers. There are about two dozen of them placed in high-traffic areas across the county. 'They take two separate pictures — one of the back of the car and then a focus up on the license plate area of the car,' said Weathers. 'Then what that does is it stores it in a data bank and we can run it by make and model of the vehicle, color of the vehicle.' The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office has had them for about two months now, and they recently helped crack their first big case. It led to the swift arrest of two people accused of stealing multiple guns from a business. Divine Rodziewicz, 23, and Dashawn Donaldson, 23, are both charged with ten felony counts of larceny of a firearm, and one felony count each of breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, and conspiracy. Deputies tracked down the suspects and recovered five of the stolen firearms using photos taken by the cameras of the suspect vehicle. 'Getting those off the street was our number one priority when it came to this case,' said Weathers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
