One of the best accounts to follow on Instagram belongs to the Transport Security Administration. It’s a never-ending list filled with photographic evidence that many people don’t understand basic rules of airline travel. However, over the weekend the TSA documented an atypical and horrifying discovery: a 3D-printed handgun with live rounds.


Because they’re made of plastic or resin, simple metal detectors won’t spot 3D-printed guns. Also, 3D-printed guns can be easily broken apart, reassembled, and smuggled onto mass transportation, which the Daily Mail actually demonstrated in 2013. Add in the fact that the TSA hasn’t always scored very high when it comes to security tests, and you can see why some concern might be warranted.

As far as 3D-printed weaponry is concerned, it’s a rare find. But when it comes to firearms in general, the TSA finds a disconcerting number of guns every week. Detailed in a blog post, the agency confiscated 68 guns from July 29 to August 4th, 2016. Sixty of them were loaded.


As for this particular firearm, 3Dprint.com reports that no online printing files match this particular gun. It’s possible that this ill-informed traveler designed the gun his or herself. Unfortunately, these types of firearms will only get better and better.

[TSA via 3Dprint.com]