{"id":54397,"date":"2024-03-05T18:00:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T17:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/?p=54397"},"modified":"2024-11-28T10:48:30","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T09:48:30","slug":"evansvilles-3d-printed-gun-case-sparks-federal-investigation-050320246","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/evansvilles-3d-printed-gun-case-sparks-federal-investigation-050320246\/","title":{"rendered":"Evansville’s 3D Printed Gun Case Sparks Federal Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recent years, advancements in <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>3D printing<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> have made the technology increasingly accessible to the general public. <\/span><\/span><\/span>While initially celebrated for its immense potential across various industries, 3D printing has raised alarm bells due to its misuse in producing untraceable <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>firearms<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> . <\/span><\/span><\/span>Ghost guns, as they are commonly known, pose a significant challenge for law enforcement agencies worldwide, as they lack serial numbers and can be virtually impossible to trace back to their origin. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Evansville, Indiana, has recently found itself at the forefront of this concerning trend.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In a high-profile case that arose in January, 39-year-old Marquel D. Payne was recently charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of an unregistered firearm, and possession of a machinegun after Evansville Police officers discovered a cache of 3D printed guns, gun components, and conversion devices (or ‘switches’) within his home. <\/span><\/span><\/span>The investigation, led by the Evansville-Vanderburgh Crime Gun Intelligence Center, uncovered approximately 60 plastic machinegun conversion devices, designed to provide semi-automatic and single-fire weapons with automatic capabilities.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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3D printer, guns, and gun components seized on January 31st. <\/span><\/span><\/span>(Photo Credits: US Attorney’s Office)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

US Attorney Zachary Myers, representing the Southern District of Indiana, expressed deep concern regarding the seized 3D printed guns and conversion devices, stating, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201cGetting illegal machinegun conversion devices off our streets is a critical public safety priority. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Fully automatic weapons and untraceable ‘ghost guns’ pose a serious danger to our communities, especially when they are in the hands of people who have no lawful business possessing any firearm. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em>” This echoes concerns raised last month by the Evansville Police Department, suggesting that there is an increasing issue of machinegun switches within the city.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

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According to Evansville detectives, Payne caught the police’s attention when detectives received information from two unidentified people, stating that the suspect had made and attempted to sell 3D printed switches and homemade guns, advertising that they were untraceable. <\/span><\/span><\/span>The arrest has caught the attention of federal authorities in recent weeks, with the US Department of Justice announcing Payne will be tried at the federal level.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This case bears similarities to one from last September, where a federal judge in Indianapolis sentenced a 31-year-old man to more than seven years in federal prison for possession of a machine gun. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Prosecutors claimed Payne also used 3D printers to produce switches, which he subsequently sold for financial gain.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Seized 3D printed gun ‘switches’ (Photo Credits: Evansville Police Department)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Assessing the Emergence of 3D Printed Guns and Gun Components<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

There has been a growing focus on the emergence of 3D printed switches, raising concerns about the potential for misuse by enabling criminals to modify firearms into weapons capable of rapid firing. <\/span><\/span><\/span>These switches, also labeled as ‘Glock switches’ and ‘auto sears’, are classified as machine guns under federal law for their ability to enable automatic firing when applied to firearms. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Even when not installed, these conversion devices are illegal to possess or sell. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>With the rise of accessible 3D printing technology, it may become increasingly difficult for police to combat illegal firearm production, as switches can be sought to bypass traditional gun regulations. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Speaking on these challenges, Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division, expressed:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Unfortunately, these deadly conversion devices continue to show up in our communities. <\/span><\/span><\/span>US law has long recognized that automatic weapons pose a special risk to public safety, both through the sheer volume of bullets fired and the likelihood that innocent bystanders will be injured or killed. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Combine that with an untraceable firearm and an unregistered silencer in the hands of a convicted felon, and it is clear that this individual is solely interested in feeding violence in southern Indiana.”<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The investigation currently involves collaboration between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Evansville Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC), the Evansville Police Department, and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office. <\/span><\/span><\/span>If found guilty, Payne could receive a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. <\/span><\/span><\/span>For more information, click <\/span><\/span>here<\/span><\/span><\/a> .<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What do you think of the emergence of 3D printed gun switches in 2024? <\/span><\/span><\/span>Let us know in a comment below or on our <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> , <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Facebook<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> , and <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Twitter<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> pages! <\/span><\/span><\/span>Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>newsletter here<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> , the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! <\/span><\/span><\/span>You can also find all our videos on our <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>YouTube<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> channel.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In recent years, advancements in 3D printing have made the technology increasingly accessible to the general public. While initially celebrated for its immense potential across various industries, 3D printing has raised alarm bells due to its misuse in producing untraceable…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6109,"featured_media":54383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54397"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54912,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54397\/revisions\/54912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}