14 DAY TRIAL // As I was, unfortunately, not at all shocked to see, 3D printed weaponry was among the first things that people tried to make and/or procure once it was proven that technology was advanced enough for it.
However, a Japanese man has just learned an important lesson: just because your country didn't get around to making the 3D printing of guns illegal doesn't mean it's okay to make or own them. Or carry them around, especially that.
The story is this: a 27-year-old Japanese man was arrested for owning 3D printed guns.
After a raid back in April, the police discovered five pistols made of plastic and a 3D printer in the man's home in Kawasaki.
Two of the guns were as lethal as regular weapons, even if not quite as heavy or likely to survive repeated use. Models for further weapons were also found at the scene, as well as prototypes.
All of them based on models found on the Internet. Clearly, the dissemination of such files hasn't been regulated yet. Alas.
The man declared that he was not aware that it was illegal to 3D print the weapons. Too bad no one told him that simply owning them still brought him under the standard gun laws.