Law Enforcement Able to Trace 3-D Printed Guns

New tonight.

Concerns over untraceable "3d" printed guns might not be an issue at least - -not because of the "tracing" issue.

It turns out - - the "blueprints" may also have "fingerprints."

Channel 5's john paul barajas is in the newsroom with more.

Law enforcement is constantly facing new challenges.

Now add the ability of people to use 3d technology to make their own weapon and the ability of investigators to trace it.

... "the 3d printing were the weapon can be made and not have actually any type of trace of who made it and who has that weapon especially if it goes online somebody is going to be able to come up and print that" 3d printing machines have little to no limitations on what they can or can't make... and what some use for a good cause or a tool for learning others might use to commit a crime...if a 3d printed gun was used in a crime investigators wouldn't be able to get any leads from the weapon involved... "there are some techniques that they're going to be able to follow up on the printer that actually made the weapon and that'll help us with who bought the printer where was it purchased and go on from there" officer meza is refering to a group of researchers at the university of buffalo who have discovered each 3d printer has its own unique hardware fingerprint... the group of researchers found that due to hardware imperfections during the manufacturing process each machine will leave its own mark.

That makes it possible for law enforcement to track down where the gun was created.

So far law enforcement has not needed to use the technique.

In the newsroom -- john paul barajas -- channel 5 news.

Representatives