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Authorities have seized more than 1,000 weapons and weapon pieces in a crackdown aimed at the proliferation of illegal guns in Australia and the island nation.

Cross-Border Operation Culminates in Apprehensions and Seizures

A seven-day international operation led to more than 180 apprehensions, as reported by customs agents, and the seizure of 281 privately manufactured guns and components, among them units created with additive manufacturing devices.

Regional Revelations and Arrests

Across the state of NSW, police found several additive manufacturing devices together with glock-style pistols, magazines and 3D-printed holsters, along with other gear.

State authorities reported they apprehended 45 suspects and confiscated 518 firearms and firearm parts in the course of the initiative. Multiple individuals were faced with violations such as the manufacture of banned firearms without a licence, shipping banned items and having a electronic design for production of guns – an offense in some states.

“Such additively manufactured parts may look bright, but they are far from playthings. When put together, they turn into lethal weapons – completely illegal and highly hazardous,” an experienced detective stated in a announcement. “That’s why we’re aiming at the entire network, from manufacturing devices to imported parts.

“Public safety is the foundation of our firearms licensing system. Firearm users need to be authorized, guns must be recorded, and compliance is absolute.”

Growing Trend of Homemade Firearms

Statistics gathered as part of an probe reveals that over the past five years over 9,000 weapons have been lost to theft, and that currently, authorities made seizures of DIY firearms in nearly all administrative division.

Legal documents reveal that the 3D models being manufactured within the country, fuelled by an online community of creators and advocates that support an “complete liberty to own and carry weapons”, are more dependable and deadly.

During the last several years the development has been from “extremely amateur, minimally functional, practically single-use” to superior firearms, law enforcement reported at the time.

Border Interceptions and Digital Transactions

Parts that are not easily additively manufactured are often acquired from online retailers abroad.

A high-ranking immigration officer said that over 8,000 unlawful guns, components and accessories had been found at the customs checkpoint in the previous fiscal year.

“Foreign-sourced weapon pieces may be assembled with further homemade pieces, forming dangerous and unmarked firearms filtering onto our neighborhoods,” the officer said.

“A lot of these products are being sold by digital stores, which might cause individuals to wrongly believe they are permitted on entry. Numerous of these services simply place orders from abroad acting as an intermediary without any considerations for customs laws.”

Further Confiscations Throughout Several Territories

Seizures of objects among them a crossbow and fire projector were also made in the state of Victoria, the western territory, the southern isle and the the central territory, where law enforcement reported they located a number of DIY guns, as well as a fabrication tool in the distant settlement of Nhulunbuy.