Angry Minnesotans Take 3D Printer Away From Gunmaker

[godofallu]

My stance-

1 Guns cost way less than the printer anyways.
2 Those guns would suck compared to the real deal.
3 If someone wants to own a gun let them. It's not only a right but an easy to acquire item.
4 While there are people that shouldn't have guns, there are also people who shouldn't vote. Or drive. Or raise kids. Or be alive. You can't just have someone with power arbitrarily control society, even if it would be for the best.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

In America there are various forms you have to send to the ATF before you can make some kinds of firearm

Sorry Adam, but this is very, very wrong. Unless it is an NFA weapon or a full auto, no paperwork is needed. And for NFA weapons you just fill out the Form 1 on the BATFE's site and 200 dollars later you can make one. Can't make full-auto's though.

In any case, a single shot .22lr pistol, what they were trying to make, needs no paperwork. The fun part is gonna be when Cody Wilson sues that pants off of Stratasys for violating the terms of the lease.

Do you have anything to back that up, just out of curiosity? From my understanding, you need a license (or maybe it was just the tax stamp) to "manufacture" a weapon. For example, I have one of these:

Spoiler: GSG 522 PK

And it is illegal for me to put a vertical grip on it without getting a tax stamp since it is manufacturing a weapon.

You would need a Form 4 tax stamp to do that, as by adding a grip or stock you'd be turning a pistol into a Short Barreled Rifle (SBR) which is an NFA weapon. So in essence, you'd be manufacturing an NFA regulated weapon where there was none before.

In the case of creating non-federally regulated weapon, as long as you're not intending to sell them, there's no paperwork required.

I was told adding a grip would make it an AOW (all other weapons) since it makes it so it designed to be held with two hands, rather than one. Either way, still requires the tax stamp, which is pretty dumb in my opinion.

 

[the doom cannon]

Meh.

For the amount of money you'd be spending to get materials that the printer uses, and would function properly (They make metal ones, too, not just plastic), you'd probably be spending just as much as you would on buying a weapon, and it'd probably take about the same amount of time to assemble it as doing paperwork to be able to own such a weapon.

This. I don't think a lot of people realize just how expensive this stuff is. My school's tuition is so high partly due to the 2 3D printers that are free to use by students. They're useful, yes, but theyre expensive and time-consuming too. I also like how people "know" that a plastic gun will explode after 1 shot. Try the XM8 project or Glock's "polymer 2."

 

[Johnson McGee]

How would a printed gun be at all safe? I'm sure a homemade gun made of lego (the same material at least) totally won't explode in your hand on its first use.

I'm seriously hoping you're saying that more for the lulz than seriousness. It's nice to make jokes about these being comparable to LEGO, but you do know there are far tougher plastics out there, right?

Like the ones GLOCK uses?

I am aware there are tougher plastics, it's just that most 3D printers use that type of plastic. Even the one in question here is supposed to be for producing models to make conceptualizing designs from CAD drawings easier, not to produce actual working parts.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Humanity creates awesome new technology.

People weaponize it.

CAN WE PLEASE STOP DOING THIS?

 

[gufftroad]

Meh.

For the amount of money you'd be spending to get materials that the printer uses, and would function properly (They make metal ones, too, not just plastic), you'd probably be spending just as much as you would on buying a weapon, and it'd probably take about the same amount of time to assemble it as doing paperwork to be able to own such a weapon.

This. I don't think a lot of people realize just how expensive this stuff is. My school's tuition is so high partly due to the 2 3D printers that are free to use by students. They're useful, yes, but theyre expensive and time-consuming too. I also like how people "know" that a plastic gun will explode after 1 shot. Try the XM8 project or Glock's "polymer 2."

problem is both Glocks and the XM8 both have the parts that take the brunt of the pressure made out of metal

 

[triggrhappy94]

Heat problems aside (even metal guns have problems with melting), the gun could very easily explode when fired.

Also, the ability to just print your own guns would be nightmarish for criminal justice. The guns would be completely untrackable, and easily disposed of--just stick it in the microwave after you're done murdering and all the evidence is gone.

 

[gufftroad]

Heat problems aside (even metal guns have problems with melting), the gun could very easily explode when fired.

Also, the ability to just print your own guns would be nightmarish for criminal justice. The guns would be completely untrackable, and easily disposed of--just stick it in the microwave after you're done murdering and all the evidence is gone.

how are they any less traceable then a stolen gun or hell even a legal gun you can get rid of a normal gun by burying it and no one would be the wiser most places the only for of registration is a 4470 form which stays at the gun store

 

[the doom cannon]

snip

Yes of course, I'm just saying they wouldn't explode, and the .22 plastic barrel would probably last for a magazine before completely failing, in which case you would probably just shoot a hole in your barrel, not suffer an explosion
Edit: oh or you would gradually scrape material off the inside of the barrel as it warped, then it would breach in what would seem like an explosion, but would really be just the bullet punching through the already warped barrel. This stuff isn't the plastic your tupperware is made of and wont melt on the bottom rack of the dishwasher XD

 

[The Funslinger]

Plastic guns... would that even work? Like yeah BB guns etc are fine but if we're talking real, dangerous guns wouldn't plastic ones just shatter when fired?

Glock pistols use a lot of plastic parts.

Edit: I see this has been covered.

I'm sure there's a way to create denser plastics, though. Science, away!

 

[gufftroad]

Humanity creates awesome new technology.

People weaponize it.

CAN WE PLEASE STOP DOING THIS?

war is the way of man man is the means for war

AVE NEX ALEA

 

[AntiChri5]

Giving people the ability to make their own undetectable firearms which can then be easily destroyed.......

Yeah no way this can backfire.

 

[antipunt]

Oh screw this. A 3d PLASTIC PRINTER?!

Think of all the other shite we could make

>_>

 

[Frozengale]

I'm pretty sure the more readily available you make guns, the more they will be used by BOTH sides. I fail to see how this would solve the issue of oppressive regimes.

 

[ResonanceSD]

3D printing guns...


OI! BIDWELL! I'VE GOT AN IDEA TO REDUCE PRODUCTION COSTS!

Mr Hale, I don't think our employees will go for these..

war is the way of man man is the means for war

AVE NEX ALEA

What?

 

[Frontastic]

Little bit of optimization required maybe but I imagine you could get a couple shots off before it broke completely (depending on the quality of the stuff printed). It'll be interesting to see how long it takes us to enter the era of disposable guns though lol

The world by Dead Rising logic. A truly scary future awaits humanity.

Glock pistols use a lot of plastic parts.

Edit: I see this has been covered.

I'm sure there's a way to create denser plastics, though. Science, away!

Really? Interesting. One of the tell-tell signs of coming from a country with very strict gun control. These things, I just dont' know.
But yes when it comes to man's ability to conveniently kill his fellow man, science will find the way. Ah, science...

captcha: time will tell
That seems rather ominous...

 

[likalaruku]

Unless this is the functional plastic gun they're talking about, I'm not sure why this is news on a video game site.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

So it begins.

One of the greatest potential inventions mankind will ever create, castrated and impeded by the moral and ethical implications of how we will inevitably use it to more efficiently do unspeakable evil to each other.

Eventually technology will give each one of us the means to effortlessly destroy our entire species, and we won't get a month before someone pulls the trigger.