Who designed the FGC-9? Unmasking the man behind the world’s most popular 3D-printed gun – podcast
3D-printed guns are now appearing the world over, including in the hands of organised criminals in Europe and anti-junta rebels in Myanmar. Made using a 3D printer and a few metal parts that can be easily sourced online, these shadow guns are untraceable, and becoming a popular choice for extremists too.
In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we talk to researcher Rajan Basra about this clandestine world, and about his hunt to uncover the real identity of the man who designed the world’s most popular 3D-printed gun, the FGC-9.
When the design for the FGC-9 emerged online in spring 2020, it caused a sensation. Earlier 3D-printed gun models required regulated components, weren’t very reliable, or couldn’t take popular ammunition. But the FGC-9, which stands for “fuck gun control”, and then its Mark II version, were more efficient and easier to make.
Rajan Basra, a research fellow on radicalisation at King’s College in London, has been tracking cases around the world involving 3D-printed guns. And he became fascinated by the FGC-9’s designer who went by the online moniker JStark1809 in homage to the American revolutionary general John Stark.
He almost adopted this persona of an American revolutionary that was standing up against tyrannical gun control laws and that’s why he developed the FGC-9.
JStark kept himself anonymous online, but he wasn’t afraid to speak publicly about the gun, or the movement he established called Deterrence Dispensed.
He just captivated me straight away. When he would appear on podcasts or in interviews, he would be wearing a balaclava with sunglasses on and he was very careful about not giving away exactly who he was or where he was.
Then, in the autumn of 2021, an investigation by the German magazine Der Spiegel reported that a man suspected of being JStark had been found dead in Hanover, a few days after his arrest, and subsequent release, by German police.
Despite this, Basra kept wondering who the real JStark actually was. And then one day he was listening to an old podcast interview JStark had done in which he mentioned a specific exchange he’d had on Twitter.
I thought to myself, I could probably find that.
That sent Basra down an internet rabbit hole through the depths of the anonymous messaging board 4Chan on a hunt for JStark’s real identity, and his motivations.
Listen to Rajan Basra explain on The Conversation Weekly podcast how he uncovered JStark’s real identity, or read an article by him from our Insights series.
A transcript of this episode is available on Apple Podcasts.
Newsclips in this episode from ABC News, BBC News, WION, CBS News and Reuters.
This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany, with assistance from Katie Flood. Sound design was by Eloise Stevens, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Stephen Khan is our global executive editor.
You can find us on Instagram at theconversationdotcom or via email. You can also subscribe to The Conversation’s free daily email here.
Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here.
Rajan Basra does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.