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Police have seized more than 1,000 weapons and gun parts as part of a operation targeting the spread of unlawful firearms in the nation and the island nation.

International Initiative Culminates in Detentions and Recoveries

This extended cross-border operation culminated in over 180 apprehensions, according to immigration authorities, and the confiscation of 281 privately manufactured weapons and pieces, among them products produced using three-dimensional printers.

State-Level Revelations and Detentions

Across the state of NSW, authorities discovered numerous three-dimensional printers together with semi-automatic handguns, cartridge holders and custom-made holders, among other items.

Local authorities said they apprehended 45 individuals and took possession of 518 weapons and firearm parts in the course of the operation. Several persons were charged with offences such as the manufacture of prohibited weapons without a licence, importing prohibited goods and owning a electronic design for creation of weapons – a crime in some states.

“Such 3D printed components could seem bright, but they are serious items. When put together, they are transformed into lethal weapons – completely illegal and extremely dangerous,” a senior police official commented in a statement. “For this purpose we’re aiming at the full supply chain, from fabrication tools to overseas components.

“Public safety forms the basis of our weapon control program. Gun owners must be licensed, guns have to be documented, and compliance is non-negotiable.”

Increasing Issue of Homemade Weapons

Information collected as part of an investigation shows that in the last half-decade more than 9,000 firearms have been taken illegally, and that this year, authorities executed recoveries of homemade guns in the majority of administrative division.

Legal documents show that the 3D models currently produced in Australia, driven by an internet group of creators and advocates that advocate for an “unlimited right to own and carry weapons”, are more dependable and lethal.

During the last several years the trend has been from “extremely amateur, barely operational, practically single-use” to more advanced firearms, police said at the time.

Immigration Seizures and Digital Purchases

Pieces that are difficult to additively manufactured are often purchased from online retailers internationally.

An experienced border official said that over 8,000 illegal weapons, parts and accessories had been detected at the frontier in the last financial year.

“Overseas firearm parts are often put together with other homemade components, forming dangerous and untraceable guns filtering onto our streets,” the officer added.

“A lot of these products are being sold by online retailers, which could result in individuals to wrongly believe they are unregulated on shipment. Many of these platforms only arrange transactions from abroad on the buyer’s behalf with no regard for customs laws.”

Other Recoveries Across Several Territories

Confiscations of items including a bow weapon and incendiary device were further executed in Victoria, Western Australia, the island state and the the central territory, where law enforcement said they discovered a number of homemade firearms, along with a 3D printer in the remote town of Nhulunbuy.