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Authorities confiscated more than 1,000 firearms and weapon pieces as part of a operation aimed at the proliferation of illegal guns in Australia and New Zealand.

Cross-Border Effort Leads to Detentions and Seizures

The week-long international initiative led to more than 180 detentions, as reported by immigration authorities, and the seizure of 281 DIY guns and parts, including products produced using three-dimensional printers.

Regional Finds and Apprehensions

In New South Wales, police located multiple 3D printers in addition to pistols of a certain design, cartridge holders and fabricated carrying cases, among other items.

State authorities said they detained 45 individuals and seized 518 guns and gun components during the operation. Multiple suspects were faced with violations such as the production of banned guns without proper authorization, shipping illegal products and having a computer file for manufacture of guns – a violation in various jurisdictions.

“Such additively manufactured parts may look colourful, but they are far from playthings. When put together, they turn into dangerous tools – totally unlawful and very risky,” a senior police official commented in a statement. “This is the reason we’re aiming at the entire network, from fabrication tools to imported parts.

“Citizen protection is the foundation of our weapon control program. Firearm users need to be licensed, weapons are obliged to be registered, and compliance is non-negotiable.”

Growing Trend of Privately Made Firearms

Statistics gathered as part of an probe shows that during the previous five years over 9,000 weapons have been taken illegally, and that in 2025, law enforcement made seizures of DIY firearms in the majority of administrative division.

Court records show that the digital designs currently produced in Australia, powered by an online community of creators and advocates that advocate for an “absolute freedom to keep and bear arms”, are increasingly reliable and dangerous.

During the last few years the pattern has been from “very novice, very low-powered, nearly disposable” to higher-quality weapons, police said earlier.

Customs Seizures and Online Transactions

Pieces that are difficult to fabricated are often acquired from digital stores abroad.

A senior customs agent commented that in excess of 8,000 illicit firearms, pieces and attachments had been found at the frontier in the previous fiscal year.

“Overseas gun components are often put together with other DIY parts, creating hazardous and unmarked guns making their way to our neighborhoods,” the official added.

“Numerous of these products are offered by e-commerce sites, which could result in users to wrongly believe they are unregulated on shipment. Many of these services only arrange transactions from overseas for the customer with no regard for border rules.”

Additional Seizures Throughout Several Regions

Confiscations of objects among them a projectile launcher and flame-thrower were also made in Victoria, the western territory, the southern isle and the the NT, where authorities stated they found multiple homemade weapons, along with a 3D printer in the distant settlement of a specific location.