ISIS thugs could soon be using 3D-printed machine guns that cost £100.
Ruthless Cody Wilson could put the lives of hundreds of innocent Brits at risk by handing terrorists the ability to build 3D weapons .
And the firearms fanatic was tonight branded irresponsible for boasting his world-first printable plastic weapon may be available within weeks – as fears grew that IS thugs may launch a Paris-style massacre on UK soil with them.
While security services battle to prevent such an atrocity, Texan Wilson may be handing murder on a plate to terrorists – he claims all that is needed to produce his 3D machine gun is a £15,000 printer and £100 for everyday materials.
And revealing his contempt for potential victims, the anarchist law student said he was “not really” bothered if the weapons, which cannot be picked up by airport scanners, fell into the hands of terrorist gangs .
He has already developed a Liberator pistol online along with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
The 3D modelling process allows solid objects – such as gun parts – to be created from a digital file that can be downloaded anywhere.
But this new automatic weapon marks a chilling twist that could have horrific consequences if UK-based IS thugs get them.
Counter-terror expert Hamish de Bretton Gordon warned: “This is making terrorists’ jobs so much easier.
"Particularly in the UK where security services are putting in so much effort to prevent an attack by one of IS’s ‘clean skins’.
“The person who is releasing this is completely irresponsible.
“We can only hope the authorities in the US are going to deal with this individual. It’s absolutely crazy.”
The former British intelligence officer called on the Government to respond by keeping a record of everyone who buys a 3D printer .
Shadow Police Minister Jack Dromey warned: “This is a bizarre and dangerous proposal. A plastic machine gun could go unnoticed by airport security, putting the travelling public at risk of terrorist attack.”
Andrea Rossel, whose sister Fiona was murdered in the 7/7 London terror attacks, said: “There is enough bad stuff on the internet but this is just adding to the threat we face.”
Britain is thought to have avoided IS massacres because of the difficulty obtaining automatic weapons, like the ones used in the Paris attacks, here.
But pro-gun activist Wilson said he could release the code for his 3D machine gun as early as April.
He is locked in a legal battle with the White House after it ordered him to take down the online code for his pistol.
The 27-year-old said of his new project: “I promise you the reason you haven’t seen this yet is because it has been artificially delayed. I would have demonstrated this for you if I was allowed to.
“I am fighting my fight with the government but we have a whole new range of things.”
Asked if he was saying he had a downloadable 3D machine gun, he replied: “That’s basically what I’m telling you.”
Wilson said the materials needed to make the gun work once it is printed are available at hardware stores. A firing pin needs to be added – which can be a basic nail.
Plastic bullet shells could be printed but would need to be packed with a primer, smokeless gunpowder and improvised shrapnel items.
Wilson, who has been pictured firing his semi-automatic gun and Liberator pistol in 2013, added: “You can’t print a good slug or a firing pin yet because the material is not dense enough. So we just said use commonly available things.”
Asked if he cared whether the guns could be used in terror attacks, he replied: “Not really.
"There are all kinds of books in a library about how to build a bomb. You just have to have a certain commitment to the free exchange of ideas.”
Wilson released web blueprints for the Liberator two years ago while at Texas University.
The plans were downloaded more than 100,000 times and the State Department threatened criminal charges and a fine over export rules.
Even after his firm Defense Distributed took them down they were still widely available on pirate websites.
Wilson is suing the US government, challenging if release of code online is an export.
The 3D technology has been utilised by the pro-gun lobby to distribute weapon designs to thwart future controls.
Current automatic weapons rely on large components – including the barrel – being metal. The UK’s National Ballistics Intelligence Service has been testing plastic 3D guns.
It confirmed no checks are carried out on those buying printers. But it added: “Nabis has not seen 3D printed guns used in crime in the UK.”
The National Crime Agency said there was no evidence of a “significant increase in the prevalence of such weapons”.
Anyone found printing 3D guns faces a conviction.
Manufacturing is set to be revolutionised by 3D printing as specific components can be made by even small businesses - and the technology has other far-reaching impacts.
In 2014 astronauts made repairs using a custom-designed wrench produced on the International Space Station using a 3D printer.
This month the European Space Agency unveiled plans to build a lunar base within the next 20 years using 3D printers.
3D has also been hailed as a way of rebuilding severely injured patients.
Last year a cancer patient became the first person to receive a 3D-printed rib cage.
In another medical first a new lower jaw created by a 3D printer was fitted to an 83-year-old woman.
It has been claimed human cells could one day be manufactured and replacement organs could be printed for transplant.
No comments:
Post a Comment