3D-Printed "FGC-9" Firearms Emerge on Black Market in Turkey
There has been a large black market for firearms in Turkey for decades. The most common weapons on this black market are converted pistols originally intended to shoot blanks (mostly chambered in .32 ACP) as well as craft-made pistols. In the past months another variant of the "FGC-9" do-it-yourself (DIY) firearm, fabricated using a 3D printer, has been added to this list.
The "FGC-9"—or “F*** Gun Control-9x19mm”—was originally designed by JStark1809, the online handle of a Kurd who was living in Germany. Since its inception, multiple variants of the weapon have also been designed by other DIY gun makers. Weapons produced with 3D printers have become widespread in many regions. For the first time, on July 28, these weapons appeared on the black market in Turkey.
It seems that the first revealed FGC-9 in Turkey was not fully assembled. Parts such as the trigger group and selector were missing in its first photos. The seller stated that this weapon will be completed in a short time and is currently priced at 18,000 TRY.
Another FGC-9 went on sale on August 21. The weapon is complete with a trigger and selector, unlike the first to land on the Turkish black market. The second firearm also has a shorter barrel. The price of this FGC-9 was set at 20,000 TRY by the seller.
So far, there are at least two FGC-9 firearms that appear to be on the black market in Turkey. Both of these weapons are chambered for 9x19mm ammunition, and both are the "Stingray Edition" variant, a derivative of the FGC-9 Mk II.
Another trait common to both firearms is that they use the standard FGC-9 Mk2 stock rather than the stock designed for the Stingray, and both guns are advertised for sale in Istanbul.
The two FGC-9s are very similar, except for a few differences in top rail and barrel lengths. Also, When looking at the surfaces of both guns, it is apparent that the print quality is rather poor.
At least the first FG-9 seems to have a smoothbore barrel (vs rifled).
Generally, it is possible to find 9mm handcrafted pistols (mostly CNC-milled) for less than 10,000 TRY on the black market, making the two available FGC-9s in Istanbul comparatively expensive in Turkey.
According to the sellers, both guns have a full-automatic setting (select-fire), which can considerably increase the price of an individual firearm. However, there is no video yet from Turkey proving that these FGC-9s have fully automatic fire settings.
It is highly probable that more DIY firearm files for 3D printers will continue to proliferate, and that these weapons will become relatively widespread, and thus cheaper variants will become available on illegal markets in Turkey and elsewhere.