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Police have seized over 1,000 firearms and weapon pieces as part of a operation focusing on the circulation of illicit weapons in the nation and New Zealand.

Cross-Border Operation Results in Arrests and Seizures

This extended international operation led to over 180 apprehensions, as reported by border officials, and the confiscation of 281 DIY firearms and components, including items produced using additive manufacturing devices.

Local Revelations and Apprehensions

In New South Wales, authorities located multiple additive manufacturing devices together with semi-automatic handguns, ammunition clips and fabricated carrying cases, along with other gear.

Regional police reported they apprehended 45 individuals and confiscated 518 guns and gun components during the effort. Numerous suspects were faced with offences among them the creation of banned weapons without a licence, importing illegal products and having a electronic design for manufacture of weapons – a violation in various jurisdictions.

“Such additively manufactured parts might appear colourful, but they are serious items. When put together, they turn into deadly arms – totally unlawful and highly hazardous,” an experienced detective commented in a statement. “This is the reason we’re focusing on the entire network, from manufacturing devices to overseas components.

“Community security is the foundation of our gun registration framework. Shooters must be registered, guns have to be registered, and compliance is absolute.”

Rising Trend of DIY Guns

Data gathered for an probe reveals that in the last half-decade more than 9,000 firearms have been reported stolen, and that in 2025, police made seizures of homemade weapons in the majority of state and territory.

Judicial files show that the digital designs now created within the country, driven by an digital network of designers and advocates that advocate for an “unlimited right to keep and bear arms”, are steadily functional and dangerous.

In recent several years the trend has been from “extremely amateur, very low-powered, nearly disposable” to higher-quality weapons, police reported at the time.

Customs Seizures and Online Purchases

Components that are not easily 3D-printed are commonly acquired from online retailers overseas.

A high-ranking immigration officer commented that over 8,000 illicit guns, parts and accessories had been detected at the border in the most recent accounting period.

“Overseas firearm parts may be assembled with further DIY parts, creating risky and unmarked weapons filtering onto our communities,” the officer added.

“Numerous of these goods are available for purchase by e-commerce sites, which could result in people to incorrectly assume they are unregulated on entry. Many of these websites only arrange transactions from overseas acting as an intermediary lacking attention for border rules.”

Other Seizures Across Various Areas

Recoveries of items such as a crossbow and incendiary device were further executed in the state of Victoria, Western Australia, the island state and the the NT, where law enforcement reported they located several privately manufactured weapons, along with a fabrication tool in the distant settlement of a specific location.