BC Police Warn About 3D-printed Guns That Look Like ‘Harmless Toys’

An array of 3D-printed weapons made out of colourful plastic are seen in a July 11, 2023, police handout photo. The Canadian Press/HO-British Columbia Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit

Police in British Columbia are raising concerns about the rise of 3D-printed guns and other privately made firearms, saying the risks posed by the weapons that often resemble “harmless toys” may not be understood by parents or teachers.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit has shared a photo of an array of weapons printed in colourful plastic, with names including Songbird, Biden’s Bane and Macdaddy.

Others appear to be replicas of commercially made guns including an AR-15 rifle and handguns by Glock and Smith & Wesson.

The unit says in a news release that although a fully functional firearm cannot be printed, conversion kits that complete the guns can be purchased in stores or online.

It warns that anyone with a 3D printer “for their children, school, or business” needs to be aware of the risks.

The unit says privately made firearms, sometimes called “ghost guns,” are a growing phenomenon, and although they aren’t yet as widely seen in B.C. as elsewhere, they have an “obvious appeal” to criminals seeking untraceable weapons.

“Many of the parts used to manufacture PMF’s are unregulated which provides opportunity for criminal networks to create new avenues for firearm trafficking schemes and networks bypassing legislation surrounding firearms,” the unit says in the release.