Hand-made firearms are on the rise in Australia, finding their way into gang networks, motorcycle groups and street criminals.
Police from across the country have met in Melbourne to discuss the illegal weapons, saying they are the most significant growing threat to public safety.
The meeting involved senior police, intelligence officials, forensic experts, legal academics and industry leaders.
Commander of NSW Police Force’s Drug and Firearms Squad Detective Superintendent John Watson said the weapons had infiltrated streets, homes and communities across Australia and could become the weapons of choice for criminals.
“Australia has the toughest firearm laws in the world, that’s a fact. What these criminals are attempting to do is skirt around these laws and put the public in danger," he said.
“These firearms could be made out of plastic, screws, sometimes a combination of household equipment, and while they may look clownish or even toy-like, the fact is they are genuine and potentially lethal weapons."
The number of 3D-printed firearms is also on the rise, with Tasmania passing new laws to include handmade weapons in firearms offences, the state's Assistant Police Commissioner Rob Blackwood said.
“We are already seeing the benefits of this legislation,” he said.
In August an 18-year-old man was charged with a suite of offences when police found a loaded Glock pistol, a sawn-off rifle, four replica Glock pistols, four privately manufactured firearms, multiple firearm magazines and firearm parts, three taser cartridges, a ballistic vest, multiple flick knives, a cannabis plant and prohibited drugs at his Goulburn, NSW home.
In October 2023 police recovered four homemade handguns, four rifles, a 3D printer and a homemade flamethrower on a 47-year-old man's property in Victoria.
Both men are still before the courts.
