Texas Man Jailed For Having 3D Printed Gun

A Texas man was sentenced to eight years in jail for using a 3D printer to make a homemade gun after he was prohibited from owning firearms for two years because he assaulted his girlfriend. Eric McGinnis attempted to buy a gun in 2016 but failed the required background check so he decided to circumvent the gun laws by building his own AR-style rifle.

He ordered some of the parts online and used his 3D printer to make the lower receiver to finish off his weapon.

"I didn't buy a gun, I built the gun," McGinnis told a family member in a recorded phone call from prison. "The upper, I printed a lower, and I built it -- installed the trigger and did all that stuff. I built it."

While McGinnis was testing out his newly created gun, officers in Dallas heard the shots and took him into custody. They also found in his backpack a "9/11/2001 list of American terrorists," which contained the names of multiple politicians and their home addresses. He had just one month left on the protective order banning him from owning guns when he was arrested.

McGinnis was convicted of possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, and will now spend the next eight years behind bars.

“When he realized he couldn’t legally purchase a firearm, Eric McGinnis circumvented our gun laws by 3-D printing his weapon, eliminating the need for a background check,” United States Attorney Erin Nealy Cox said in the statement. "This case should send a message to prohibited persons contemplating acquiring guns by any method: this office is committed to keeping guns out of the hands of those who violate protective orders for domestic violence, no matter how the guns are obtained - by theft, purchase, or 3D printing."


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content