Japanese arrested for possessing 3-D printer guns

Tokyo, May 8 (IANS) A Japanese was arrested Thursday for possessing guns made with a 3-D printer, a media report said.

Yoshitomo Imura, a 27-year-old college employee, kept five plastic guns at his home, two of which had the potential to fire lethal bullets, investigative sources said.

They also recovered a 3-D printer from Imura's home close to Tokyo, but did not find any ammunition for the gun, Xinhua reported.

Imura has posted videos on the internet of the guns, along with their blueprints earlier this year, which made the police launch a probe.

It's the first time Japan's firearm control law has been applied to the possession of guns produced by 3-D printers.

The rapid development of 3-D printing technology, which allows relatively cheap machines to construct complex physical objects by building up layers of polymer, has proved a challenge for legislators around the world.