3D printed guns to be banned in South Australia

The State Government will introduce a bill this week to ban the possession of blueprints to manufacture 3D printed guns – another step in the Malinauskas Labor Government’s strong action to strengthen community safety.

It comes as a growing trend in the production of blueprints for 3D printed guns – files usually obtained online allowing people to make lethal weapons without serial numbers – continues.

This growing threat is undermining the firearms licencing system and posing a serious threat to community safety.

The Firearms (Digital Blueprints for 3D Printing) Amendment Bill is a vital step to ensure the state’s firearms legislation stays up to date with emerging technology.

Those caught in unauthorised possession of blueprints to make 3D guns, could face imprisonment of up to 15 years and fines of up to $75,000.

The Bill does not target the legitimate use of 3D printing technology. The Bill is purely focused on the unregulated and dangerous use of the technology to produce firearms illegally.

Consultation on the reforms took place with law enforcement, legal experts and community stakeholders as we work together to close the loophole for criminal activity.

The Malinauskas Labor Government’s strong action since coming to government to make our community safer includes:

• The toughest knife laws in the nation.
• New laws to crack down on adults who recruit children to commit crime, with penalties of up to 15 years imprisonment.
• Introduced legislation for strong new powers for police to respond to street gangs.
• Record investment in SAPOL to prevent and respond to crime, including $172 million for additional sworn police officers, $12 million to accelerate police recruitment and $31.1 million for essential infrastructure and equipment upgrades.

Quotes

Attributable to Blair Boyer

The Malinauskas Government is committed to community safety with these measures responsible and necessary to ensure we keep up to date with emerging technology.

Our top priority is to keep South Australians safe, and this new legislation is the perfect example of how we take action when it is needed.

There will always be deceitful people who seek to work outside of the law and this is us acting as quickly as possible to ensure any loopholes are closed, and that police have the powers they need when these issues arise.

For 10 consecutive months, South Australia’s crime rate has reduced. The new laws and extra investment in SAPOL we have made since coming to government are working and we will continue to do what is necessary to keep the community safe.