Manitoba man charged with making 3D-printed gun

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This article was published 03/02/2022 (1058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 34-year-old Hanover man has been arrested and charged after allegedly attempting to manufacture guns using a 3D printer.

The Canadian Border Services Agency investigation began in September 2021 at the international mail processing centre in Mississauga, Ont., it said.

Border officers were processing postal shipments when they found a suspicious package addressed from the United States destined for southeastern Manitoba.

The officers found the shipment contained undeclared “firearm components,” including metal parts and inserts commonly used to reinforce the plastic frame of a 3D-printed pistol.

The RCMP executed a search warrant at the Manitoba home on Dec. 16, 2021 and arrested a 34-year-old suspect, who didn’t have a valid licence to produce or possess firearms. The accused was released on court conditions.

Officials seized two restricted, 3D-printed handguns, a 3D printer, three non-restricted guns and a “personal quantity” of ammunition.

Ryan Buhler is charged with making false statements contrary to the Customs Act, manufacturing a restricted firearm, possessing a firearm without a licence, and failing to follow firearms storage regulations. His next court date is Feb. 14.

Anyone convicted of manufacturing firearms without authorization faces a mandatory minimum of three years in federal prison.