Des Moines' first case linking untraceable 3D-printed guns to a crime raises concerns for police
The discovery of two 3D-printed guns is prompting Des Moines police 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 a Wednesday morning shooting on Easton Boulevard, 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."
If you have any information relating to this case, contact police.