PHOENIX – Your child’s new hobby could become a school safety concern.
3D printing has become common among children, with YouTube tutorials on how to craft everything from pencil holders to shoes out of thermoplastics.
However, some kids are using the printers to make weapons that can elude metal detectors, and that’s creating an issue when it comes to school safety.
Where have 3D-printed weapons been found in Arizona schools?
In Arizona, there are no laws or age restrictions regarding 3D printing a weapon.
Alice Driver, an investigative journalist at The Beam, has been looking into whether 3D-printed weapons are showing up at schools around the Valley. She found incidents at schools in Scottsdale and Chandler.
She also learned that schools don’t always communicate the situation to parents because 3D-printed items resembling knives or guns might not be classified as weapons.
“The good thing is that no kids have been hurt,” she said. “But it’s really a moment to take stock and say, ‘What are our policies? How are we going to treat this? How are we going to educate and communicate with parents?’”
Driver added that the legal records can be confusing, as well, with schools and police departments sometimes disagreeing about the classification.
Officer Aaron Bolin with the Scottsdale Police Department said the classification can vary based on the type of implement. A “deadly weapon” describes something designed for lethal use, while a “dangerous instrument” is the term for something that could be an improvised weapon.
“That’s not to say that a student could not still face legal consequences for bringing, let’s say, a [3D-printed] practice butterfly knife or a printed box cutter … because if they’re displaying it to classmates, if it’s used in any other commission of a crime or to assault or hurt someone else, there are statutes that still govern that,” he said.
3D-printed weapons are ‘super easy’ to make
Creating a 3D-printed weapon is as simple as downloading a file and plugging it into a machine. Printers can be found on Amazon for under $150.
After printing one as a test, Driver said the plastic weapons are “super easy” to make and capable of causing considerable damage.
“It’s actually very sharp, and I also needed to see that myself because I think people who haven’t seen these things don’t realize that they are quite functional depending on what blueprint you download,” she said.
Bolin said the police department works with local schools to handle reports of any weapons and advance legislation proposals to enhance school safety.
Driver hopes moving forward schools will work to regulate 3D-printed weapons and acknowledge the physical and emotional damage the could cause on campus.
“I hope that they’re going to be transparent and communicate with parents. That’s my first hope. The second hope is that they will make specific policies about 3D-printed weapons,” she said.
Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.
