Police in the Australian state of Queensland raided a suspected methamphetamine lab and uncovered a 3D-printed firearm. This is apparently the first time that a 3D-printed firearm has been captured by police anywhere.

The firearm appears to be a Liberator pistol, a design created by Defense Distributed, a Texas-based gunsmithing group, and uploaded to the Internet for free. The Liberator is a single shot, .380 ACP caliber pistol almost entirely made of parts capable of being manufactured by any 3D printer, with the exception of a single steel nail that functions as a firing pin. The pistol seized in Queensland was modified to accept .22LR rounds.

The files for producing the Liberator were downloaded more than 100,000 times worldwide before the U.S. State Department demanded Defense Distributed remove the files to comply with international arms export regulations.

The gun was discovered despite strong gun control laws taken enacted by the Australian government. The incident highlights a growing sense—one advocated by Defense Distributed—that technology is making gun control measures obsolete. What could be a common household appliance—a 3D printer—can now, with the addition of a nail, make a firearm with very little effort.

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