SYDNEY, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A Sydney man has faced court for the manufacturing of 3D printed weapons, the first person to be charged with the crime of possessing illegal firearm blueprints in New South Wales State (NSW).
The 28-year-old man said on Monday that it was his interest in cosplay and science fiction which caused him to print the replica weapons and they were only ever intended to be used as props.
Included in his arsenal were a P-90 submachine gun, as seen on sci-fi television series Stargate, and a MA5C assault rifle from the Halo video game series.
Police made the arrest last year after an attempt was made to sell one of the weapons on Facebook, with one gun carrying a price tag of 1 million Australian dollars (740,000 U.S. dollars).
However, the man now claims that rather than trying to actually sell the gun, he was only seeking recognition for his work.
He said he was unaware of the seriousness of his actions, although he knew there were legal "grey areas" around what he was doing.
A 2015 law made it illegal in NSW to possess the blueprints for 3D printed firearms, with a maximum 14-year prison sentence for the crime.
The case will return to court later this month.
