--- title: "14-Year-Old Arrested for Allegedly Trying to Sell Guns He 3D Printed" description: "Among the recovered 3D-printed gun parts was a Glock switch, a device that converts a handgun into a fully automatic weapon." date: "2024-09-11" modified: "2024-09-11" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/teenager-arrested-3d-printed-guns" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "3d printed guns" - "3d printing" - "guns" - "the digest" --- # 14-Year-Old Arrested for Allegedly Trying to Sell Guns He 3D Printed ![Among the recovered 3D-printed gun parts was a Glock switch, a device that converts a handgun into a fully automatic weapon.]() *\Image: Detroit Police Department\* ## Stop the Presses A teenager in Detroit was arrested after his house was raided in a 3D-printed gun sting, [*CBS News* reports](), amid a [federal crackdown]() into illegal [weapons parts produced]() with consumer fabrication tech. The culmination of a joint investigation with the Department of Homeland Security, the Detroit Police Department Organized Crime unit executed a search warrant at the house on Wednesday, uncovering evidence of an illegal operation. Among the confiscated items, according to authorities, were 3D-printers, twelve 3D-printed handgun "lowers" — the lower half of a handgun frame — and five rifle lowers. The big ticket item, though, was a 3D-printed Glock "switch," a small device that converts pistols of the popular brand into fully automatic weapons. The arrested teenager, a 14-year-old, is facing felony weapons charges. According to *CBS*, the teenager will likely face federal charges as well, due to Homeland Security's involvement in the arrest and investigation. ## Smoking Gun Generally, [3D-printing guns and gun parts]() isn't illegal in the US, though this can vary from state to state, and also depend on the specific parts that are being made. Printing them with the intent to sell them, however, can get you into serious trouble. The arrest was made after investigators intercepted a package from China that contained the Glock switch, after which they allowed it to be delivered to the house. However, it's unclear how the authorities determined that the teenager intended to sell the gun parts. Ryan Connor, commander of the Detroit Organized Crime Unit, said that they are currently investigating whether any of these gun parts actually hit the market. "It's scary for everyone. At that age, do they have the ability to know right from wrong?" Connor said on Wednesday, [as quoted by *CBS*](). "What are their intentions with these weapons? Do they have the maturity? There's a lot that goes through our minds about those crimes." ## Plastic Piece The 3D-printed Glock switch is part of a broader category of highly illegal weapon parts called machine gun conversion devices. These are outright illegal to own or create — not just sell. Just days before the raid, the Justice Department, at a Washington gathering of other federal law enforcement officials, [reemphasized its crackdown on MCDs]() by calling on the 3D-printing industry to "identify solutions in this fight." "More and more of these devices were being sold over the internet and on social media, and more and more they were actually just being printed by inexpensive 3D printers in homes and garages everywhere," Steve Dettelbach, the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agency, [told the *Associated Press*](). According to ATF figures cited by the *AP*, there was a 570 percent increase in the number of MCDs confiscated by police between 2017 and 2021. Considering that 3D-printing is easier to pick up than ever, cheaply-made MCDs won't be an easy thing to stamp-out. Evidently, even *kids* are getting into this burgeoning black market these days. **More on guns:** *[Video Shows China's Rifle-Equipped Robot Dog Opening Fire on Targets]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()