An expert in media law is cautioning against the introduction of new laws to prevent the use of 3D printers to make guns.

Angela Daly, a research fellow at Swinburne University in Melbourne, has testified at a Federal Government inquiry on Australian regulations surrounding illegal firearms.

Experts have urged caution over the use of 3D printers to manufacture weapons.

Some regulations already suggested include criminal checks for printer owners and enforcing algorithms to restrict the printing of 3D guns.

Ms Daly told the inquiry politicians should be careful not to over-regulate against the perceived threat.

"We shouldn't allow a moral panic to stifle the large benefits for 3D printing for society at large," she said.

"There should be some hard evidence regarding the prevalence of 3D printed weapons, and the threat of those weapons to Australia, before any new legislation is considered."

The inquiry heard current 3D printing technology is not a particularly efficient way to build firearms, with many prototypes exploding after a single shot is fired.

One regulatory option put forward was to monitor the criminal history and search data of people who used 3D printers.

Terry Goldsworthy from Bond University in Queensland said people would likely need to download blueprints for firearms.

"We could have some kind of facility within our law enforcement agencies to look for that kind of search data and then match it up for people who may have criminal history, so you can then start to build a bit of a picture," he said.

But Mr Goldsworthy said that had its own set of problems.

"Sixty per cent of [organised crime] gangs don't have a criminal history," he said.

"If you're going to rely purely on criminal history, you're probably going to miss a large grouping of people who would probably cause concern."