A Winnipeg man has been charged after police say they made the city’s first ever seizure of a 3D-printed “ghost gun” last month.
Police showed off the weapons seized — including a fully-functioning Glock 19 with a 3D-printed lower receiver — Tuesday.
Inspector Max Waddell of the Winnipeg Police Service organized crime division said the weapons that can be created at home using a 3D printer are known as a “ghost guns” because they have no serial number or markings for tracking.
“I can only think of one reason why anyone would manufacture a firearm that can not be registered or detected,” he said. “And that is to circumvent the laws that are in place to protect us all.
“So for police, (it’s) obviously very concerning that people can go undetected … that’s really the intent and the purpose of manufacturing this — there’s no other reason.”
Waddell said police began investigating after getting a tip someone had tried to buy a prohibited component for an AR-15 rifle from a local firearms reseller in the city.
The investigation led officers to raid a home in the first 100 block of West Avenue, May 20.
Police said Tuesday they found 28 guns, including 10 registered restricted handguns, a registered prohibited firearm, and 18 various long guns.
They also say a registered restricted handgun that should have been at the home wasn’t found, and the weapon hadn’t been reported lost or stolen, as required under the law.
During the raid police said officers learned a part for a AR-15 had been printed using a 3D-printer.
That led police to raid the same home again the next day, this time seizing computers, a 3D printer, hard drives, memory sticks, and various gun parts, including a number of what they describe as “cast-off” 3D-printed gun components.
During the raid Waddell said police also found the a fully 3D-printed lower receiver for a Glock 19 handgun, fitted with a legitimate Glock upper receiver — making it a fully functioning gun.
‘Beyond concerning’
Waddell said the 3D printer seized by police — which he said can be purchased online for as little as $1,000 — had been used to print the guns and gun parts officers found during the raid.
Waddell said he fears this will not be the last time police find 3D-printed guns in the city,
“Unfortunately by going on the internet, there’s step-by-step instructions for people to follow, so I don’t consider this to be highly sophisticated,” he said. “It’s beyond concerning to me.
“The criminal element continues to evolve and continues to find ways to circumvent the systems, so if you can’t obtain a firearm legally … you’re going to resort to the next step, and that’s making your own.”
Waddell said in this case, police don’t believe there are any gang connections to the weapons seized.
Officers from the WPS Firearms Investigation Enforcement Unit (FIEU) arrested a man in connection to the homemade weapons June 1.
Corey James Boyd, 31, is charged with weapons trafficking, possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized, and lost firearm or weapon not reported.
Boyd has been detained in custody.
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