Documentary | 24 November 2020

Jake Hanrahan, Jacob Duygu

Plastic Defence is a documentary about illegal 3D printed firearms in Europe and the decentralised network behind them. These guns are robust, they don't blow up in your hands, and they're untraceable. What's more, they're being made in people's bedrooms. At Popular Front, we got access to the network designing and building these downloadable rifles. It goes by the name "Deterrence Dispensed". Its members are determined to give untraceable DIY firearms to the world. We spent time with the founder of the movement—a man known as JStark. He argues that his group is helping people living under authoritarianism fight back against their oppressors. Whilst this might be true, Deterrence Dispensed is sending their technology out into the world for free to anyone and everyone. If it gets into the wrong hands, which it easily could do, many innocent people could die.