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Police have seized in excess of 1,000 guns and gun parts during a crackdown aimed at the spread of unlawful firearms in Australia and its neighbor.

Transnational Effort Culminates in Detentions and Recoveries

The week-long transnational initiative led to over 180 arrests, as reported by immigration authorities, and the recovery of 281 privately manufactured weapons and parts, among them items made by additive manufacturing devices.

Regional Discoveries and Detentions

Across the state of NSW, authorities discovered several three-dimensional printers in addition to pistols of a certain design, ammunition clips and 3D-printed holsters, among other items.

Regional authorities said they arrested 45 suspects and seized 518 weapons and firearm parts in the course of the effort. Several individuals were accused of offences including the production of banned guns without proper authorization, importing banned items and having a digital blueprint for production of guns – an offense in various jurisdictions.

“These fabricated pieces might appear colourful, but they are serious items. When put together, they turn into dangerous tools – completely illegal and extremely dangerous,” a senior police official stated in a release. “For this purpose we’re focusing on the full supply chain, from fabrication tools to foreign pieces.

“Public safety is the foundation of our weapon control program. Shooters must be authorized, weapons must be registered, and adherence is mandatory.”

Rising Trend of DIY Firearms

Data gathered as part of an probe reveals that during the previous five years over 9,000 weapons have been taken illegally, and that in 2025, police executed recoveries of homemade weapons in nearly all state and territory.

Legal documents reveal that the digital designs being manufactured domestically, powered by an online community of designers and enthusiasts that support an “complete liberty to own and carry weapons”, are more dependable and dangerous.

In recent several years the pattern has been from “highly unskilled, very low-powered, nearly disposable” to more advanced guns, police reported earlier.

Immigration Seizures and Online Purchases

Pieces that are difficult to 3D-printed are commonly ordered from digital stores internationally.

A senior border official commented that over 8,000 illegal weapons, components and accessories had been found at the customs checkpoint in the last financial year.

“Overseas weapon pieces may be assembled with other homemade parts, creating risky and untraceable weapons appearing on our neighborhoods,” the official said.

“A lot of these goods are being sold by digital stores, which might cause users to mistakenly think they are unregulated on shipment. Many of these platforms just process purchases from international acting as an intermediary lacking attention for customs laws.”

Further Confiscations In Multiple Territories

Recoveries of items such as a projectile launcher and fire projector were further executed in the southeastern state, Western Australia, the island state and the the NT, where police stated they found a number of DIY weapons, in addition to a additive manufacturing device in the distant settlement of the named area.