The increasing availability of illicit, untraceable and unregistered privately manufactured 3D-printed firearms poses a significant safety risk to frontline law enforcement officers and the community at large.

Using data from a large national survey of online Australian adults (n=9,951) conducted in late 2024, the authors measured exposure to digital firearms products being sold online, including blueprints and printing files to manufacture 3D-printed firearms. 

Key findings

• A small proportion of respondents reported having seen digital firearms products for sale on the public internet (2.4%) or the darknet (0.9%).
• Just over one percent (1.1%) of respondents said they or someone they knew had bought or traded digital firearms products online on the public internet (0.7%) and/or on the darknet (0.8%).
• Respondents who said they or someone they knew had bought or traded digital firearms products online were more likely than other respondents to have had contact with the criminal justice system (including for violent offences), to own a firearm without a licence, to have intentionally viewed fringe or radical content, and to have seen content depicting or calling for violent action.