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Taskforce arrests man suspected of 3-D printing illegal weapon materials

By Jack Nissen and Camille Amiri
Published  October 28, 2024 6:29pm EDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

Suspect arrested after 3-D printing gun parts

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office said a man who was using a 3-D printer to make devices that turns semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic firearms was arrested. He's facing several charges for the manufacture of those parts.

(FOX 2) - An individual already out on bond for a separate felony involving possessing controlled substances was arrested again for carrying a concealed AR-15 style firearm.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the suspect is now facing several more charges after their task force on gun violence found he was 3-D printing gun parts that turned firearms into automatic weapons.

Now, 13 devices used for converting Glocks into machine guns are off the street.

The sheriff said the devices, which appear like harmless pieces of plastic, can turn a handgun fully automatic.

"So instead of depressing the trigger once for each shot, you pull the trigger and it just keeps going until it runs out of ammunition," said sheriff Michael Bouchard.

3-D printed gun modifiers

The individual, who has not been arraigned, was taken into custody by the Gun Violence Task Force over the weekend. After arresting him, the task force seized a 3-D printer, as well as the modified devices.

"The individual, we believe, also had been buying these elsewhere in addition to coming up with his own process," said Bouchard.