Grayslake Man Used 3D Printers To Illegally Make Guns, Silencers: Cops

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A 31-year-old Grayslake man faces charges for allegations he used 3D printers to illegally manufacture guns and machine gun conversion devices, authorities said.

Charles A. Best, of the 200 block of Highland Drive in Grayslake, has been charged with five counts of unlawful possession of a machine gun and unlawful possession of a firearm silencer. Additional charges are likely, police said Thursday.

The arrest Wednesday came following a probe by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Group, which is a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area-funded task force. Police searched Best's home and seized 64 machine gun conversion devices, three firearms and three silencers, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

They also seized two 3D printers, several 3D printed pistol frames, high-powered rifle parts and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition and 60 grams of cannabis wax, according to police.

Prosecutors plan to file a petition to detain Best in custody during his criminal proceedings.

“This investigation undoubtedly prevented bloodshed in our community. Gun traffickers are a real problem in Lake County and throughout the Chicagoland region,"said Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg.