Droves of attendees brought 3D printed firearms, including pistols and rifles to the second annual Gun Maker's Match last year, which gathered competitors from across the U.S.

The event, held in St. Augustine, Florida in March of 2022, set the competition in three categories - kit-built and 3D-printed guns in rifle, pistol caliber carbine (PCC) and pistol, with participants consisting of amateur, professional gun makers as well as sponsors.

Some attendees said they had only been gun owners for one year and started with 3D-printed guns. One gun owner told a reporter with China Central Television (CCTV) that he had purchased some parts of his firearm and printed the rest with a yellow material.

In the U.S., the rise of 3D printed firearms has raised concerns that the process could be used to obtain a firearm while avoiding a background check. According to one exhibitor at the event, it is legal to sell certain parts intended for use in 3D printed firearms without being licensed as a manufacturer.

Even the receivers can easily be 3D-printed. The event's sponsor, headquartered in Texas, sells USB flash drives for just 11 U.S. dollars, containing all the necessary data to print such a part.

Although the 3D printed guns are largely made of hard plastic filament, they still shoot metal bullets, which can sometimes result in malfunction.

There are over 80 companies producing or selling data for these 3D-printed guns across the States, and people are free to place an order without any registration of their IDs, either they are just enthusiasts or some plotting for major gunshot crime.

Gun control is a controversial issue in the U.S., which saw some 600 mass shootings in 2022. At the event, however, many attendees were unconcerned with 3D printed firearms falling into the wrong hands.