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Police have discovered a suspected 3D-printed firearm operation in London, the Met announced today. Officers with the Specialist Crime Command have recovered a “large number” of firearm components. The seizure was “one of the largest seizures of 3D printed firearm components ever in the UK”.

Met Police discovered the components during an October 7 raid on a North West London home.

Pictures released by the service show a collection of grey-coloured plastic blocks that resemble parts of a handgun.

Officers also recovered ammunition, as one picture showed a pack of 50 bullets.

And they arrested two men, one in his 20s and another in his 40s, on suspicion of firearm offences.

The raid and arrests were conducted by ‘Operation Viper’ teams, who take the lead on “developing firearms intelligence”.

Met Police Commander Paul Brogden said the operation highlights an “emerging threat” from 3D-printed weaponry.

He said: “This operation demonstrates how we continue to relentlessly target those who attempt to put lethal firearms on the streets of London.

“We found a large number of components that could be used to create weapons and believe 3D printed firearms were being manufactured to sell.

“This highlights how the emerging threat of 3D firearms continues to evolve.”

Firearms are subject to strict regulation in the UK and are only reserved for those with a licence.

People can only receive one following an assessment from local police that deems them not a threat to public safety.

They must also have “good reason” to own the firearm, which may include a “regular, legitimate basis for work, sport or leisure”, according to British legislation.

But 3D-printed components circumvent the legislation that has helped keep UK gun deaths low for decades.

While expensive, 3D printers are widely available in the UK for those who can afford them.

Individual machines can cost more than £8,000 depending on the model, and they can print complicated objects when fed instructions included in files.

The files used to manufacture gun parts are freely available online via social media and usually come from the US, where most manufacturers reside.

The technology behind 3D-printed guns is rapidly accelerating.

File instructions can produce many different gun types, ranging from pistols to see-automatic rifles.

And they are cropping up on British streets, with primarily far-right groups becoming interested in manufacturing them.

But 3D-printing guns comes with a high risk of arrest, Dr Rajan Basra, a senior research fellow at King’s College London’s Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) told Sky News, as “each step in that manufacturing process represents another point of intervention for the authorities”.

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