Federal prosecutors allege 3D‑printed gun parts were made for al‑Qaida operatives

In the summer of 2024, former Army National Guard member Andrew Scott Hastings spent an afternoon assembling boxes that contained homemade firearm lower receivers and more than 100 “switches,” devices designed to convert semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic weapons. Prosecutors allege that Hastings intended the components for operatives linked to al‑Qaida, a claim that underscores the growing concern over the use of consumer‑grade 3D printers to produce illicit weapon parts. The investigation, which began after a tip about unusual shipments, led federal agents to trace the printed components to a network operating out of Colorado Springs.

Following the discovery, ATF agents arrested two Colorado residents accused of operating the 3D‑printing operation that produced hundreds of illegal conversion devices. The suspects face charges that include unlawful manufacturing of machine‑gun parts and providing them to foreign terrorist organizations. The case highlights law‑enforcement efforts to curb the proliferation of unregistered firearms technology and the challenges posed by readily accessible digital manufacturing tools.