Japanese Court Sentences Man To 2 Years For 3-D Printing Of Guns
By Phil Watson
A Japanese man was sentenced to two years in prison for building two guns using a 3-D printer. He is the first person ever jailed for the 3-D printing of guns.
A Japanese Court handed down a two-year prison sentence to a man who was convicted of manufacturing guns by using a 3-D printer.
It is the first time in history a person has been sentenced to a prison term for the 3-D printing of guns.
Yoshitomo Imura, 28, made two guns at home, using a 3-D printer to produce the parts.
He didn’t help his own defense, either, considering he produced a YouTube video that went step by step through the process of manufacturing the guns.
The Japan News reported that the prosecution had sought a 3½-year prison sentence for Imura, a former employee of the Shonan Institute of Technology.
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Japanese law forbids the possession of guns and large knives and the production of weapons.
The Judge said Imura has “flaunted his skills and knowledge and attempted to make gun controls toothless.”
Imura is the first convicted for producing guns using a 3-D printer, but The Verge reported that police in the United Kingdom had last year seized suspended components they suspected had been produced with a 3-D printer, but they were found to be spare parts for the printer.
In the United States, the manufacture of weapons with a 3-D printer is not illegal—except for certain types of guns in certain jurisdictions.
There were attempts to tighten restrictions on 3-D printing of guns last year, but proposed changes to the Undetectable Firearms Act were rejected.
Last December, the law was extended for 10 years, but Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the law still had “glaring loopholes” that made it possible for undetectable guns to be moved through security checkpoints through 3-D printing technology.
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