Former Met Police chief Lord Hogan-Howe has raised the alarm over 3D-printed guns after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson in the US.
The firearm used in the fatal shooting is believed to be a homemade weapon known as a “ghost gun”, and a New York police chief said it “may have been made on a 3D printer”.
Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe said that there have been a “fair few instances” where guns have been produced on 3D printers in the UK.
The independent crossbench peer told the House of Lords that the 3D-printing of weapons is a “very serious point” and said it could undermine gun control in Britain.
The “one big thing that’s changed” over the last few years, he said, is 3D printers being able to produce metallic guns, rather than just plastic-based ones, which means they are “more than one use”.
Lord Hogan-Howe told peers: “We in this country have some very strict gun controls: you cannot own a handgun, you cannot own a prohibited weapon, an automatic weapon, so we’re left obviously with rifles and shotguns.
“And if we lose this control point, which the 3D printers allow, then we’re going to be in a serious situation.
“Would it be wise to consider banning the software and the importing of the software that allows the 3D printers?”
He also suggested investigating people who have had 3D printers delivered to “find out what they’ve been using them for and whether any of these guns have been produced on any of these particular printers?”
Labour peer Lord Harris of Haringey told the House of Lords that 3D-printed weapons are now the “firearm of choice” for young men in Australia and New Zealand.
He added that it is possible to find manuals on how to make 3D-printed firearms on the internet, and asked what is being done to stop the circulation of such manuals.
Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint said: “No viable fully 3D-printed firearms have been found by law enforcement in the United Kingdom.
“In 2023, there were 25 incidents where police seized 3D-printed component parts or other items associated with 3D-printing of firearms.”
He added: “It is an offence to manufacture/distribute a prohibited weapon, such as a handgun or semi-automatic rifle, however it is manufactured, and that carries a sentence of life imprisonment.
“The maximum penalty for possessing such a prohibited weapon, including any 3D prohibited weapon, is 10 years imprisonment with a minimum penalty of five years.
“We will keep legislation under review and there are opportunities during the course of this session to review that legislation in relation to any issues that might need bringing forward.”
Lord Hanson told peers that a 3D-printed firearm would be “treated in exactly the same way as would any other type of firearm that is illegal”.
However, he said that some suggestions from peers were “worthy of consideration” and could be put forward during the Crime and Policing Bill.
