COMING UP HERE SHORTLY. THANK YOU JASON. NEW TONIGHT A DISTURBING DISCOVERY AT A CENTRAL IOWA CRIME SCENE. KCCI IS PEPPER PURPURA. SHOWS US WHY POLICE ARE ALARMED OVER THE UNUSUAL WEAPONS FOUND AFTER A SHOOTING. PEPPER? YEAH. CASS. BEN. STACEY. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED TUESDAY ON EASTON BOULEVARD IN DES MOINES. COURT RECORDS SAY A SIX YEAR-OLD SHOT A 31 YEAR OLD MAN. OFFICERS FOUND 23D PRINTED GUNS AT THE SCENE, MARKING A FIRST FOR THE DES MOINES POLICE. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE’VE RECOVERED TWO OF THESE AND BEEN ABLE TO CONNECT ONE OF THEM TO A CRIME GHOST GUNS LIKE THESE HAVE NO SERIAL NUMBERS, MAKING THEM VIRTUALLY UNTRACEABLE. POLICE SAY THEY KNOW PEOPLE HAVE THESE TYPES OF GUNS SINCE THERE’S NO LAW AGAINST THEM IN IOWA, THEY BELIEVE THE GUNS WERE MADE LOCALLY. BUT DON’T THINK THE TEENAGER ARRESTED FOR THE SHOOTING CREATED THEM. NOW THEY’RE TRYING TO TRACK DOWN WHERE THEY CAME FROM. WE’VE GOT THIS CIRCUMSTANCE NOW WHERE PEOPLE ARE MANUFACTURING THESE GUNS TO AVOID BACKGROUND CHECKS OR MANUFACTURING THESE GUNS WITH THE INTENTION OF LANDING THEM IN THE HANDS OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GO OUT AND COMMIT A CRIME. THE PROBLEM THAT WE ENCOUNTER IS THAT WHEN WE LEAN INTO OUR PARTNERS WITH THE ATF FOR SOME SUPPORT AND SAY, HEY, CAN YOU TELL US WHERE THIS GUN CAME FROM? WHERE WAS IT SOLD? WHO BOUGHT IT? THE GUNS VIRTUALLY INVISIBLE BECAUSE IT DOESN’T HAVE A SERIAL NUMBER. POLICE SAY THEY HOPE TO CRACK DOWN ON THE DISTRIBUTOR NOW TO PREVENT THESE KINDS OF WEAPONS FROM BECOMING A BIGGER ISSUE. THAT’S SOMETHING WE DEFINITELY WANT TO GET A GRIP ON AND GET A GRIP ON FAST. THE 16 YEAR-OLD IS FACING ATTEMPTED MURDER AND WILLFUL INJURY CHARGES. THE MAN SHOT IS EXPECTED TO
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Untraceable 3D-printed guns raise concerns for police
Updated: 12:32 AM EDT Apr 15, 2024
The discovery of two 3D-printed guns is prompting police in Des Moines, Iowa, to investigate the possibility a distributor may be manufacturing untraceable weapons in the city for criminal purposes.The guns were discovered at the scene of shooting, where a 16-year-old shot a man and was arrested. The man shot is expected to fully recover, and the teen is facing attempted murder and willful injury charges.However, police are troubled by the weapon used to execute the crime. The incident marks the first time the department successfully connected a 3D-printed firearm to a crime in Des Moines.3D-printed guns are a form of “ghost gun,” a homemade weapon with no serial numbers for sellers to track their purchase, making it difficult for authorities to connect the weapons to specific crimes.Police have ruled out the possibility the teenager charged may have produced the weapon, but do believe the gun was made locally. The department is now working on tracking down who manufactured the guns, and distributed them to the 16-year-old.”We’ve got this circumstance now where people are manufacturing these guns to avoid background checks or manufacturing these guns with the intention of landing them in the hands of people who want to go out and commit a crime,” Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said. “The problem that we encounter is that when we lean into our partners with the (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) for some support, they say, ‘can you tell us where this gun came from, where was it sold, who bought it,’ but the gun is virtually invisible because it doesn’t have a serial number.”
The discovery of two 3D-printed guns is prompting police in Des Moines, Iowa, to investigate the possibility a distributor may be manufacturing untraceable weapons in the city for criminal purposes.
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The guns were discovered at the scene of shooting, where a 16-year-old shot a man and was arrested. The man shot is expected to fully recover, and the teen is facing attempted murder and willful injury charges.
However, police are troubled by the weapon used to execute the crime. The incident marks the first time the department successfully connected a 3D-printed firearm to a crime in Des Moines.
3D-printed guns are a form of “ghost gun,” a homemade weapon with no serial numbers for sellers to track their purchase, making it difficult for authorities to connect the weapons to specific crimes.
Police have ruled out the possibility the teenager charged may have produced the weapon, but do believe the gun was made locally. The department is now working on tracking down who manufactured the guns, and distributed them to the 16-year-old.
“We’ve got this circumstance now where people are manufacturing these guns to avoid background checks or manufacturing these guns with the intention of landing them in the hands of people who want to go out and commit a crime,” Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said. “The problem that we encounter is that when we lean into our partners with the (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) for some support, they say, ‘can you tell us where this gun came from, where was it sold, who bought it,’ but the gun is virtually invisible because it doesn’t have a serial number.”
