NCA calls for possession of 3D-printed gun blueprints to be made illegal

The barrel of a 3D-printed FGC-9. In May, NCA officers uncovered a factory in south London for converting blank-firing guns into lethal weapons using 3D-printed parts. Photograph: Sipa US/Alamy

The head of the National Crime Agency has called for ministers to make possessing 3D-printed gun blueprints illegal after a fourfold increase in seizures.

Seventeen 3D-printed firearms were confiscated by police last year, up from three two years ago, Graeme Biggar told reporters at a conference in central London.