US President Joe Biden has signed an executive order to combat the growing threat posed by 3D printed firearms and machine gun converters.
Auto sears, also known as ‘Glock switches,’ are small components that turn pistols into fully automatic handguns capable of firing up to 1,200 rounds per minute. This is faster than the standard M4 rifle used by the US military.
The plastic converters are reportedly cheap and easy to produce using online files and desktop 3D printers. According to the White House, the components can be 3D printed in 30 minutes for under 40 cents.
Machine gun converters have faced increased scrutiny over recent months, following the City of Chicago’s lawsuit against Glock, America’s largest manufacturer of semi-automatic pistols.
Chicago alleges that Glock has made the “business decision” to profit from the sale of handguns that can be easily modified using 3D printable auto sears. These weapons have been linked to increasing gun crime in the city, with 1,100 illegally modified Glocks recovered by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) between 2021 and December 31, 2023.
Biden’s new executive order has established an “Emerging Firearms Threats Task Force” to asses the danger posed by the devices. This will deliver a report to the White House in 90 days, detailing how federal authorities can curb their circulation. The new order also targets fully 3D printed firearms, often called ‘ghost guns,’ that cannot be detected by security scanners and have no serial number, making them hard to trace.
Additionally, the US President has directed government agencies, including the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Homeland Security, to improve school-based active shooter drills.
The rise of 3D printed Glock switches
Biden’s new executive order follows growing attention surrounding the rise of machine gun converters. While these devices are often imported from manufacturers in China, most auto sears that originate in the US are 3D printed.
In July, The City of Chicago filed a lawsuit against Glock in Cook County Circuit Court. It alleges that the US gun manufacturer has deceptively marketed its pistols and lies about its commitment to promoting safety.
Notably, Chicago argues that Glock has failed to institute effective safeguards to prevent the conversion of its handguns into fully automatic firearms using Glock switches. According to the plaintiffs, “Glock has knowingly engaged in conduct that is unreasonable and unlawful, endangering the safety and health of the public in Chicago.”
This sentiment is echoed by Jorge Leon, the inventor of the “Fire Selector System,” an auto sear for Glock pistols. Leon has expressed regrets over his patented invention, which made the design easily accessible and replicable for 3D printing. In an interview with KARE 11, he stated that Glock design changes could render auto sears obsolete.
While machine gun conversion devices are illegal to possess under federal law, they are being increasingly used in violent crime. This includes homicides, aggravated assaults, batteries, kidnappings, burglaries, home invasions, carjackings, and attempted robberies. One such device was reportedly found at the scene of a recent mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four people.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) noted a 400% increase in recoveries of illegally modified handguns from 2020 to 2021 throughout the US. Between 2017 and 2021, the ATF recovered 5,454 of the 3D printable devices, representing a 570% increase over the previous five years.
Support for Chicago’s lawsuit is not unanimous. 3D printed firearms advocate Matthew Larosiere recently told 3D Printing Industry that this “fundamentally unserious lawsuit” will “almost certainly be unsuccessful.” He described the allegations as legally flawed and argued that 3D printed machine gun converters are protected under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
A new task force to tackle 3D printed firearms
Biden’s executive order identifies 3D printed machine gun converters as a key threat to public safety. The new Task Force will assess federal agencies’ operational and legal capacities to detect, intercept, and seize the devices.
Fully 3D printed firearms were also highlighted as an emerging threat by the Biden-Harris administration. Many of these ‘ghost guns’ cannot be detected by magnetometers, which are often used in airports, courthouses, and event spaces. They can also be produced without serial numbers, making them impossible to track.
As with machine gun converters, unserialized, 3D printed firearms are illegal to make, sell, or possess under federal law. However, the White House fears that improvements to 3D printer technology will increase the threat posed by 3D printed guns. The Task Force will work to assess the threat posed by these firearms and determine how federal agencies can more effectively track and seize them.
The organization’s report will include an interagency plan to combat the emergence of auto sears and ghost guns. It will also outline assistance or funding required from Congress to complete this work.
Away from 3D printed guns, the executive order has directed the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and publish new guidance regarding active shooter drills in schools, colleges and universities. To be developed in coordination with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the US Surgeon General, the publication must be released within 110 days.
The information will include a summary of existing research on existing drills and resources; how to communicate these drills to students and parents; how to mitigate trauma and stress associated with these drills; and how best to serve people with disabilities and language-related needs.
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3D printed gun regulations
This is not the first time Joe Biden has targeted 3D printed guns. His administration claims that it has already announced more executive actions to reduce gun violence than any other.
One of Biden’s first executive actions in 2021 sought to address the growing threat posed by ghost guns. The ATF worked to expand these efforts by establishing an Emerging Threats Center, which focuses ATF resources on identifying developments in illicit firearm marketplaces. These include marketplaces relating to untraceable 3D printed firearms and illegal conversion devices.
2021 also saw the US Department of f Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) impose Export Administration Regulations (EAR) on those manufacturing, exporting or ‘furnishing’ 3D printed guns.
Under the regulations, a BIS license is required to post online files that can be used to 3D print firearms. Once issued, each license is valid for four years. Those wishing to export 3D printed gun files must provide details such as the caliber, barrel length and finish of any weaponry.
Away from US Government regulations, French 3D printer manufacturer Dagoma has previously collaborated with international advertisement agency TBWA/Paris to combat the spread of 3D printed guns. The partners created and spread fake and unusable digital files of 3D printable guns to frustrate those trying to download them.
Elsewhere, Facebook has banned the sharing of instructions on how to make 3D printed firearms under its Community Standards. The Firearms Policy Coalition argued that this move violates freedom of speech.
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Featured image shows US President Joe Biden. Photo via the White House.
