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Police have seized in excess of 1,000 guns and weapon pieces in a crackdown aimed at the proliferation of unlawful guns in the country and New Zealand.

Cross-Border Effort Leads to Arrests and Confiscations

This extended international initiative led to more than 180 arrests, according to immigration authorities, and the recovery of 281 privately manufactured guns and pieces, including products created with 3D printers.

Local Discoveries and Apprehensions

Within NSW, police found multiple additive manufacturing devices in addition to pistols of a certain design, magazines and 3D-printed holsters, among other items.

Local law enforcement reported they apprehended 45 people and confiscated 518 weapons and firearm parts as part of the initiative. Several individuals were charged with crimes including the production of illegal firearms unlicensed, importing illegal products and owning a digital blueprint for production of guns – an offense in some states.

“Those fabricated pieces could seem bright, but they are far from playthings. When put together, they are transformed into dangerous tools – totally unlawful and very risky,” a senior police official stated in a announcement. “For this purpose we’re aiming at the entire network, from printers to imported parts.

“Citizen protection is the foundation of our weapon control program. Shooters are required to be licensed, firearms must be documented, and conformity is mandatory.”

Rising Phenomenon of DIY Weapons

Statistics obtained during an investigation reveals that over the past five years over 9,000 firearms have been reported stolen, and that in 2025, authorities conducted confiscations of privately manufactured firearms in almost every regional jurisdiction.

Judicial files reveal that the digital designs now created in Australia, powered by an online community of designers and supporters that support an “absolute freedom to keep and bear arms”, are increasingly reliable and dangerous.

During the last several years the trend has been from “highly unskilled, barely operational, practically single-use” to higher-quality weapons, authorities stated at the time.

Immigration Seizures and Online Transactions

Parts that are difficult to additively manufactured are frequently acquired from digital stores abroad.

A high-ranking border official said that more than 8,000 illicit guns, components and accessories had been discovered at the customs checkpoint in the previous fiscal year.

“Foreign-sourced weapon pieces can be constructed with further homemade parts, forming risky and unmarked firearms filtering onto our streets,” the officer added.

“A lot of these goods are available for purchase by online retailers, which may lead users to incorrectly assume they are permitted on import. Numerous of these platforms just process purchases from international on the buyer’s behalf with no regard for import regulations.”

Other Seizures In Several Regions

Recoveries of objects among them a projectile launcher and incendiary device were also made in Victoria, the western territory, the southern isle and the the central territory, where authorities reported they located multiple homemade weapons, as well as a additive manufacturing device in the remote town of a specific location.