A Queensland Palmer United Party MP
introduced a private member’s bill to his state’s parliament last night,
seeking to outlaw making or owning 3D printed guns or files that could be used
to create these.
The ABC and others report that Carl
Judge, the Queensland MP for Yeerongpilly, introduced a bill to amend the
Weapons Act 1990.
Judge’s Weapons (Digital 3D and Printed Firearms) Amendment Bill 2014 would
make it punishable to create, buy or own guns created through additive
manufacturing.
The insertion of a new Section 69A reads,
“An armourer licensed to manufacture a firearm may manufacture the firearm
using an additive manufacturing process only if authorised to do so under a
condition of the armourer’s licence.”
News Corp quotes Judge as saying, “There
is a very real and significant risk to our community because it is now possible
and affordable to actually print a physical and operative firearm.”
Queensland’s science minister Ian Walker has so far refused to comment on the bill, explaining that he was not present
when it was introduced the the parliament.
The ABC reported last month that it was possible to buy a 3D printed Liberator gun in Australia for $250 through the website The Agora Market.
The Liberator achieved infamy last
year when its designer, a University of Texas law student named Cody Wilson,
made plans for the single-shot weapon available online. These were reportedly downloaded 100,000 times before being removed.
Image: Image: http://3dprint.com/