UK student becomes first person to be convicted of making gun using 3D printer

A 26-year-old student, Tendai Muswere has become the first person in the UK to be convicted for using a 3D printer to manufacture a gun.

Muswere pleaded guilty in Southwark crown court on Wednesday to the charge of manufacturing a 3D printed gun capable of firing a lethal shot.

Police had initially gained access to Muswere’s home in Pimlico, central London, in October using a drug warrant, but found components of a 3D printed gun capable of firing a lethal shot during the search.

Police said in a statement they believed it was the first British conviction relating to a gun made using a 3D printer.

Muswere, who does not hold a firearms licence, told detectives he had printed the firearm for a “dystopian film” as part of a university project – but later refused to comment on what the film project was about.

Muswere claimed he was unaware the weapon he had printed was capable of firing but officers later found he had searched the internet to watch videos on how to make a weapon that could fire live ammunition.

The Metropolitan police said there was not widespread concern about the printing of guns in London. While plans for guns can be created or downloaded online, not all parts can be printed off – in other words, a gun cannot be manufactured by simply downloading plans online and using a 3D printer.

Problems arise around tracing 3D-printed guns and although possession of such weapons is illegal in the US and the UK, enforcing the law is difficult because it is not necessarily known who is making them. The ease with which they can be produced and used is also of concern to authorities.