Since the killing of the CEO of United Healthcare in New York City by a man using a 3D-printed gun, the media has been demonizing the hobby of 3D-printing firearms.
At a recent event that talked about deaths at the hands of people using 3D firearms, it was unveiled that there have only been around 100 killings utilizing any form of privately manufactured firearms (PMF), including those made from kits commonly referred to as “ghost guns” by the anti-gun movement. Around half of the deaths using PMFs were suicides. This number means that a person is more likely to be killed by a falling TV (450) or being accidentally strangled by bed sheets (850).
Also, there are many easier ways to get a gun than print one. A person would have to acquire a 3D printer and filament, download the files, spend hours printing the parts, acquire the parts that can’t be printed, and finally assemble the firearms. The United Healthcare killer didn’t have a criminal record and could have purchased a gun from a store. It is unknown at this point why he used a 3D-printed firearm, especially since he chose an outdated one.
These attacks against the 3D printed firearms community have come in many forms, including a Rolling Stone article in which they “reached out to” legendary 3D firearms printer JStark for comment. It wasn’t until being called out on X (formerly Twitter) by this reporter for not knowing JStark died in 2021 in Germany that the article was changed. The magazine updated the article with a simple line: JStark “died in 2021” and left the request for comment. Many wonder how such a mistake could have been made.
Cross-referencing the article’s writer shows that the article was copied and pasted from the anti-gun website “The Trace.” The original article was written before the death of JStark. The propaganda against 3D-printed firearms is so heavy that publications are re-running four-year-old articles as new.
From @RollingStone. How is he going to respond to a request for comment? He isn’t alive:
While politicians and law enforcement agencies have dubbed the advocates of 3D-printed firearms extremists, the movement has no unifying political ideology. Jstark, for his part, said in the…
— John Crump (@crumpyss) December 18, 2024
The demonization of 3D firearms isn’t limited to the United States. Channel 4 in the UK also ran a special on the homemade guns. The reporter from the UK, Snake Denton, pushed the narrative that extremists and terrorists in the UK are using 3D printing to produce guns. Denton only cited one arrest, which was for possession of a 3D-printed gun. The groups the reporter was most concerned about were “far-right groups.”
The gun Mr. Denton was most concerned about was the FCG-9. FCG stands for “fuck gun control” and was designed by JStark in 2019. It is chambered in 9mm. The reporter spoke about how easy it was to get the “blueprints” for the FCG-9 online. The “blueprints” he was talking about are CAD files. These are the same CAD files that the Rolling Stone article claimed might be illegal to share due to export laws controlled by the Commerce Department in the US. Whether that claim is valid or not depends on who you ask.
The reporter bought a Bambu Labs 3D printer. Channel 4 decided to blur out the brand and website, although millions of printers have been sold. Only a few are used for printing firearms, including the one this reporter owns. The reporter made a few parts but didn’t produce the entire gun. It is worth noting that only part of the FCG-9 is 3D printed, although some articles lead people to believe that complete firearms are printed on a 3D printer. Currently, no model is 100% 3D printed because of the need for things like a metal firing pin or other parts.
In what could only be described as a scene from a bad spy movie, dramatic music plays as the Channel 4 reporter walks around the City of London with a bag of gun parts. Mr. Denton even made a slow-motion move, raising the bag in front of the camera while surrounded by people. He then goes to the airport to fly to Florida to meet with the well-known 3D printer “Mr. Snow Makes.” It is like he is on a secret mission.
Mr. Snow is a prolific 3D gun maker living in Florida. Denton seemed amazed that his pistol grip fit on a receiver that Mr. Snow printed. The pistol grip is one of the most basic parts to print of an FCG-9. It would be shocking if it didn’t fit since both are printed from duplicate files. Mr. Snow stressed that the barrel was one part of the FCG-9 that couldn’t be printed on a 3D printer but conceded it could be homemade. He emphasized that you must be incredibly skilled to make a working barrel. An average person is not going to be able to produce the barrel.
Mr. Denton highlights that it only took minutes to put the gun together without mentioning that it took 60 hours of printing time to produce the parts. Although Mr. Snow ensured the audience was aware of the time frame. The reporter kept speaking about how easy it is to create a gun. He concludes that anyone can make the guns in the UK without mentioning that many of the parts needed to finish the FCG-9 are unavailable in the country or much of Europe. They would have to be smuggled into the country. At that point, smuggling in an entire firearm might be more efficient. He openly wonders if the CAD files should be criminalized. Something we would find out that he does want and advocate for.
After returning to the UK, the reporter goes on a crusade to try convincing a British MP to push for more control, including controlling the CAD files on the Internet. Since most of the files are hosted in the US, where it is legal to make 3D-printed firearms, there is almost no chance of that action making a difference. He pushes for a new law by showing the MP a grip made of plastic. By itself, it does nothing. A pistol grip is not a gun.
This part would be equivalent to showing a 3D-printed bong and claiming that those files should be banned because people are printing drugs. Because of the news story, the UK is considering a bill banning gun CAD files. But the files are already out. No matter what the UK government does, it will not stop the proliferation of gun CAD files.
The whole principle behind 3D printing firearms is to make gun control obsolete, and it is doing just that. Every day, more and more people are buying 3D printers, and the 3D gun CAD files are spreading. Printers are cheap, and sources are widespread. The community is bigger than ever and increasing exponentially. In the 3D printing world, there is a saying, “You can’t stop the signal.”
About John Crump
Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
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