A 27-year-old man from Kawasaki, Japan has been arrested for possessing handguns he built from a 3D printer, making it the first time anyone in the country has ever been detained for owning 3D-printed guns.
Authorities apprehended Yoshitomo Imura last month, but news of his arrest hit just yesterday. Apparently, Imura had downloaded and created five plastic guns, two of which could actually launch real bullets . . . which is kind of worrisome, considering his DIY creations look more like kids' toys than actual weapons.
Imura uploaded a video of his handiwork online. In it, he builds and actually fires one of his guns loaded with blank bullets, which is probably what caught the police's attention.
It turns out that there are extremely strict gun laws in Japan. Since 1958, people have been forbidden to possess swords and fire arms. Although Imura has clearly demonstrated how his guns could be able to harm someone, he said he didn't know it was illegal to own a plastic gun.
“I produced the guns, but I didn’t think it was illegal," said Imura. His five 3D-printed guns and printer have since been seized by authorities. "I can’t complain about the arrest if the police regard them as real guns."
[via Mashable]
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