US government cracks down on illegal machine gun conversion devices

Criminals in the United States are using 3D printers to manufacture small plastic devices converting semi-automatic rifles into illegal machine guns that can fire hundreds of rounds per minute with a single pull of the trigger, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), a US federal agency regulating firearms.

Chief of the firearms and ammunition technology division at ATF, said the agency is working to warn local police agencies about so-called machine gun conversion devices as they are increasingly used to carry out crimes.