--- title: "A Court Just Sent a Man to Prison For 3D Printing a Gun" description: "43-year-old Eric McGinnis from Texas was sentenced to eight years in prison for the possession of a partially 3D printed AR-15 rifle, BBC reports." date: "2019-02-14" modified: "2019-02-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/man-prison-sentence-3d-printed-rifle" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "3d printed" - "3d printed guns" - "gun" - "gun control" --- # A Court Just Sent a Man to Prison For 3D Printing a Gun ![43-year-old Eric McGinnis from Texas was sentenced to eight years in prison for the possession of a partially 3D printed AR-15 rifle, BBC reports.]() *\Image: Tag Hartman-Simkins\* ## Prison Sentence A 43-year-old Texan man named Eric McGinnis was sentenced to eight years in prison yesterday for the possession of a partially 3D printed AR-15 rifle, the [*BBC* reports]() — a sign that 3D printed guns could be moving from a hypothetical concern to a real one. McGinnis was prohibited from owning firearms for two years after attacking his girlfriend in 2015. He was arrested in 2017 after local law enforcement heard shots near his home. Only the parts that allowed the rifle to fire were 3D printed according to the *BBC.* "I didn't buy a gun, I built the gun," McGinnis admitted to a family member over a call from the jailhouse, as quoted by the *BBC*. ## Sharing 3D Printed Gun Plans In July, a U.S. federal judge [granted a temporary nationwide injunction]() blocking gun-rights activist Cody Wilson from sharing 3D printed gun plans on the internet. The same judge ruled in August that plans for 3D printed guns "cannot be uploaded to the internet, but they can be emailed, mailed, securely transmitted, or otherwise published within the United States," according to a [court document](). In other words, blueprints can still very much be shared in many ways. ## An Alarming Trend 3D printing guns could become a way to circumvent gun laws, since they have no serial numbers and don't require a background check. And it's not just in the U.S. In July, Australian police [seized a number]() of 3D printed handguns in Queensland. "This is something you read about, but we have not seen around here before, so it's rare for sure," senior sergeant Edwards [told local news](). **READ MORE:** [Man jailed after found with 3D-printed gun and 'lawmaker hit list']() \[*BBC*\] ***More on 3D printed guns: Blueprints For 3D Printed Guns Will Stay (Sort Of) Offline, Judge Rules*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()