On 3D-Printed Guns, the BBC Doesn’t Get That You Can’t Stop the Signal

One of my all-time favorite TV series is Firefly. It only ran for half of a season, but it did get a follow-up movie called Serenity. It’s a perfect blend of everything I love in my science fiction.

In Serenity, there was a character named Mr. Universe. The group turns to him when they need to get information out, and he replies, “You can’t stop the signal.” It’s a recurring theme with the character, who seems to be a super-futuristic hacker who sees and knows just about everything.

The thing is, once the ability to transmit information is democratized, you really can’t stop the signal. Many of you may not remember what life was like before the internet, but I do. While there was no official stifling of information, if you didn’t own a printing press or a TV station, your ability to share was limited to the people you knew.

Now, everything is different. Right now, I’m communicating with thousands of people on a kind of platform that anyone could create themselves. I run a personal Substack where I do the same. I have a YouTube channel where I do as well. I have the means to reach millions, and I’m not that special.

Everyone knows this, though. I’m not saying anything you don’t know.

But the BBC doesn’t seem to get that while you might want to restrict things, the internet means you can’t stop the signal.

3D-printed guns could become “the weapon of choice” for criminals and violent extremists around the world, an expert has told the BBC. These DIY, untraceable firearms have been recovered in several recent criminal cases, including the alleged use of a partially 3D-printed gun in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

BBC Trending has investigated the global spread of 3D-printed guns across social media platforms including Telegram, Facebook and Instagram, as well as websites offering how-to guides.

3D-printed guns, often described as a type of “ghost” gun, are untraceable firearms that can be assembled using a 3D printer, downloadable blueprints and some basic materials. Designed to evade gun-control laws, the technology has advanced rapidly in the last decade, with the latest models capable of firing multiple rounds without their plastic components breaking.

According to Nick Suplina of Everytown, a US-based gun control organisation, 3D-printed guns could become the “weapon of choice” for people planning acts of violence: “The materials have gotten better, the cost has gone down, and the ease of access of these blueprints is at a high,” he said.

Suplina is full of it. 3D-printed guns aren’t turning up at crime scenes nearly often enough for that to actually be true. Traditionally manufactured guns are still the predominant weapons used by criminals. They’re just stolen, thus bypassing the gun control laws.

Moving on…

BBC Trending’s investigation began with advertisements for guns on Instagram and Facebook. In October 2024, the Tech Transparency Project, a non-profit that monitors technology companies, found hundreds of gun ads – including for 3D-printed and other ghost guns – appearing on Meta’s platforms, in violation of its policies.

Meta declined to comment on the findings at the time. Several months later, BBC Trending found similar gun adverts still showing as active in Meta’s ad database.

Many of these gun adverts directed potential customers to Telegram or WhatsApp channels. On Telegram, we found channels displaying a variety of guns for sale. Some of these appeared to be 3D-printed. One Telegram account with over 1,000 subscribers claimed to ship weapons globally.

BBC Trending contacted the account, which called itself “Jessy”, to confirm whether it would be willing to break the law by shipping 3D-printed guns to the UK. Within an hour, Jessy offered us a Liberator or a Glock switch.

A glock switch (also known as an auto sear) is a small, sometimes 3D-printed part that converts a pistol into an automatic weapon.

The Liberator, designed in 2013 by “crypto-anarchist” Cody Wilson, is the world’s first widely available 3D-printed gun, capable of firing a single shot.

Jessy claimed he could smuggle the weapon through UK customs, asked for payment of £160 in bitcoin, then suggested a bank transfer to a UK account we couldn’t trace.

When we later contacted Jessy, identifying ourselves as the BBC, he acknowledged that selling weapons in the UK is illegal but sounded unapologetic.

“I run my business, sell some straps [slang for weapons] online,” he said.

Now, the BBC admits that it both failed to go through with the transaction and that this could be a scam. They don’t know, and to be fair, I don’t blame them for not crossing that line. I’m pretty sure the British cops wouldn’t be overly thrilled with them if they did it.

It’s clear that the BBC is alarmed by what it found, based on the rest of the story, but here’s the thing they need to remember: You can’t stop the signal.

For better or worse, the ability to manufacture guns is universal now. Even the most restrictive regimes can’t stop people from getting easy access to guns. I can order a 3D printer on Amazon and start printing guns just as soon as it’s set up. While I’m fortunate enough that I can call Cody Wilson up for advice (yeah, kinda flexing here, but only a little), no one needs those kinds of contacts because there are legions of people doing just that lawfully. You can ask them and they can answer the question just as easily, because the process has been democratized.

And with the internet, that information can go anywhere.

Even the Great Firewall of China has failed to stop the flow of that information. If the oppressive Chinese government can’t stop it, no one can.

The thing is, that’s a good thing.

Guns are a bulwark against tyranny. Every tyranny that has taken hold throughout history had to remove the guns from private hands, either before or immediately after taking power. Tyranny cannot exist long when the oppressed can fight back. There will be fighting non-stop if they try, and none of them want to deal with that, so they disarm the populace if they aren’t already disarmed.

The 3D printer changes that.

No, you might not be making military-grade hardware with one, but you can build a gun that can be used to obtain that hardware.

The signal is out there, and thanks to the internet, it’s everywhere. You can’t stop the signal, and I’m never going to feel the least bit bad about it, even if the BBC thinks I should.