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SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → General Discussion → 3D Printing Illegal??
At this point two different people told me that it was their belief that 3D printing was now illegal or going to be as a result of the risk of people building guns with the technology. Should I assume these people have not read between the lines very well?
Should I assume these people have not read between the lines very well?
Yes, thats the least you should assume. Not actually paid any attention at all would be more like it.
Maybe start by asking have they banned Mobile Phones, Pressure Cookers, Nuts, Bolts, Fertilizer, hydrogen peroxide, or any of the other commonly available household items that can make IED's.
Have they banned metal mills and lathes, of which can make existing guns, quite easily actually... as much 'ease' as there is in getting a succesful print that would work reliably anyway... and can be bought just as cheaply and 'used' just as 'easily'....
Distribution of Gun Print Plans is covered under a regulation called ITAR (International Trade in Arms Regulations). Its the same rules that cover export of 'real' guns etc. These are existing laws that actually cover what happened here quite well.
3D Printers themselves... nothing, nada, zip, zippo..... No laws, no rules, nothing that can be 'enforced'. And as pointed out above, theres virtually zero motivation that could cause them to be banned given that Metal Mills and Lathes are widely available to the public still are they not? 
So nutshell version.... Storm, meet teacup....
considering that you can buy a CNC, or at least CNC ready milling machine for not much more than a SD3, and use it to "print" (subtractive as opposed to additive), cad files for actual firearms out of steel to be as robust and reliable as the actual store bought and serialized guns. i dont think 3d printing has anything to be worried about.
well, besides keeping up with all the increased demand the news stories are creating. just think of how many ignorant masses had no idea that this technology even existed, and are now researching and discovering that the price point is low enough for them to tinker with it too!
I agree about the availability of alternate tools. However, I think what has everyone so excited about 3d printed guns is that they are plastic and may get through a metal detector. a milled metal gun should not.
I can take a block of plastic(delrin,PC,ABS or whatever) and do the same thing with it as a block of aluminum to make an AR lower receiver or for that matter many other 'gun' parts, heck I have rubber molds here for certain low stress parts I can pour some pretty tough thermoset plastics in.
as a result of the risk of people building guns with the technology.
I think the risk will be more with the gun blowing up in your face rather than "look at me i printed a gun and can shoot people", yet for some reason no one sees that.
What Ronsii said.
remember the movie "in the line of fire" where the bad guy used a block of PVC and some springs from a pen to make a plastic gun to assassinate the president? stored his bullets in a metal pen to get through the metal detector.
the idea of using plastic to make a gun has been around for a long long time. and i dare say this movie came out (1993) at a time when 3d printing was still science fiction to all but researchers in labs working with very primitive machines.
the only reason defense distributed got any press was because of the very public way he went about flaunting his creation. I am a life member of the NRA and a strong supporter of gun rights and owner of many firearms, but something about that young man makes me uneasy. the look in his eyes in those interviews just screams sociopath. there's preserving rights, then there's just flat insanity, and i think he crossed that line.
i did download the plans, however. and plan to try it out on my sd3 when i get it good and calibrated .
I agree about the availability of alternate tools. However, I think what has everyone so excited about 3d printed guns is that they are plastic and may get through a metal detector. a milled metal gun should not.
I know really. One of the persons who mentioned this I worked with and I explained to him that there are already more guns in this country than people, so why would someone bother making plastic guns unless they wanted to fight magneto? lol.
This really belongs in general discussion or 3d printer discussion as this has nothing to do with solidoodle...
the only reason defense distributed got any press was because of the very public way he went about flaunting his creation. I am a life member of the NRA and a strong supporter of gun rights and owner of many firearms, but something about that young man makes me uneasy. the look in his eyes in those interviews just screams sociopath. there's preserving rights, then there's just flat insanity, and i think he crossed that line.
I don't think that the guy cared about preserving rights, or really making a gun.
everything about the way that this was done just seems to scream that the guy wanted publicity.
remember that the guy also did this on a many thousand dollar printer, not a solidoodle or even reprap style printer.
i imagine that anyone trying it on a reprap style printer is going to quickly run into de-lamination issues, followed by personal longevity issues.
'personal longevity issues.' LOLROF
lol
It's interesting...according to current Federal Law, it is completely legal to build any number of firearms for your personal use. Just don't sell them.
With this in mind, it is perfectly legal to use a lathe, milling machine, drill press, etc to make these firearms.
But now, the media and public get spastic over a 3D Printer making guns? I don't get it! I can build a much better gun using my metalworking machines, but nobody is moving to ban them.
BTW, Defense Distributed now has has it's FFL license to make and sell firearms...so you can buy a printed AR-15 lower receiver from him, but you can't download the files to print one yourself...crazy!
It's interesting...according to current Federal Law, it is completely legal to build any number of firearms for your personal use. Just don't sell them.
With this in mind, it is perfectly legal to use a lathe, milling machine, drill press, etc to make these firearms.
But now, the media and public get spastic over a 3D Printer making guns? I don't get it! I can build a much better gun using my metalworking machines, but nobody is moving to ban them.
BTW, Defense Distributed now has has it's FFL license to make and sell firearms...so you can buy a printed AR-15 lower receiver from him, but you can't download the files to print one yourself...crazy!
The public sees metal working as a specialized trade where you need to know how & have equipment to produce weapons. The public sees 3D Printing as a deskjet in terms of use. Download a file, plug the printer in & OH NOES EVERYONE PRINTS GUNS! THE WORLD IS GUNNA END!!!1111
Yeah, it's because 3D printing sounds so simple that anyone can do it... We can thank the media for that. It really isn't.
The last ar15 receiver I finished took a little over two hours using only a drill press and jig.... the last ar15 receiver I printed took more than 8 hours and I'm not sure it will hold up more than 10 rounds....
I could easily do the same thing with a cordless drill or for that matter a dremel tool also I could shave off a lot of time if I didn't do all the extras and try for perfection.
SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → General Discussion → 3D Printing Illegal??
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