Lawmakers try to stop the spread of 3D guns

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Agence France-Presse


By AFP
Published : Jul 29, 2018 - 17:11 Updated : Jul 29, 2018 - 17:26

WASHINGTON -- Dozens of US legislators are demanding that the Trump administration explain a recent agreement to allow the free distribution of plans for using 3D printers to make plastic handguns that will be easy to hide and almost impossible to control.

After a lengthy legal battle, the government reached agreement last month with Cody Wilson, a militant gun rights advocate from Texas. He successfully argued that the US Constitution‘s Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to private gun ownership, should extend to a person’s right to make guns at home -- uncontrolled by authorities, since they will bear no serial number.

Dozens of Democrats in both the US House of Representatives and the Senate have decried the settlement and are demanding an explanation from the President Donald Trump’s administration, which has been extremely supportive of gun owners’ rights.

The agreement between the State Department, which controls the exportation of American arms, and Wilson‘s Defense Distributed group was reached on June 29.



Read more: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180729000202

[ancianita]

1. August 1 2018: "the age of the downloadable gun formally begins."

Wilson and Defense Distributed can publish plans, files and 3-D drawings in any form and exempts them from the export restrictions. The government also agreed to pay almost $40,000 of Wilson's legal fees and to refund some registration fees.

Files from the Defense Distributed website already have been downloaded a million times.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/19/us/3d-printed-gun-settlement-trnd/index.html

---------------

Wilson and Defense Distributed can publish plans, files and 3-D drawings in any form and exempts them from the export restrictions. The government also agreed to pay almost $40,000 of Wilson's legal fees ...

http://freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/wikiweapons_and_printing_3d_guns_its_just_stalking_horse_whats_come/

The files are out there forever. Now the fight is over who will control 3D printer patents and markets.

[docgee]

2. Unfortunately, there is no way to stop this.

Unless the government thinks it can start controlling and censoring information.

[amcgrath]

3. Naturally, dozens of American law makers are against this

The NRA is a lobby group for the people who make guns. Downloadable guns will hurt their sales. I'm sure those 'dozens of law makers' have all taken some pretty furious calls from their donors

[pazzyanne]

4. Oh, great! Just what we need.

An unlimited supply of throw away guns that can't be traced. The wild west was never like this.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

13. And not just throw-away guns, guns that can pass through a metal detector

Ever see the film Line Of Fire? The plastic gun John Malkovich brings into the presidential banquet is now made easy.

[NickB79]

5. It's been legal to make guns at home for generations

The only restriction being you can't make them for sale, only personal use.

Mr. Wilson's argument was not based primarily on 2nd Amendment cases from what I've read, but 1st Amendment ones, because he was arguing for the right to disseminate CAD files online, not actual firearms.

[Bayard]

6. Why is the first thing they think of for using this tecnology, guns?

How about something useful, like houses for the poor?

[forgotmylogin]

11. To be fair, the original idea was rapid prototyping and replacement parts.

If the plastic latch doo-dad that makes your vacuum work breaks, you just create a new one with a printer and the template the company provides instead of them needing to keep them stocked in a warehouse and send them out to you. Need a part for an obsolete machine that you still use? Theoretically, a cad-design of it could allow you to recreate the part with a 3D printer.

I believe they want to custom print replacement bones, like hip joints. I've even read about how theoretically they may eventually be able to bio-print small replacement organs - like a kidney - using stem cells...and...organ goo? (It's theoretical!)

[appalachiablue]

16. Good point. A few years ago there were news pieces on 3D houses

for affordable and low income housing but I haven't seen any lately.

Gunz!!

[NutmegYankee]

7. The government is in a bind. Plans are information, and information is speech.

Banning the distribution of the plan files (Prior Restraint) was not a winnable case for the government.

[EX500rider]

8. Indeed, it's much like Abbie Hoffman's printing of "Steal This Book"..

(or "The Anarchist Cookbook" )....which had directions on making homemade bombs among other things....but was protected by the 1st Amendment.

[NutmegYankee]

9. And it will be governed similar in law - legal to read, not fully legal to do

I say not fully legal because there are separate laws against making undetectable (by metal detector) guns, which was why the plaintiff in this case had to add metal to the handle. The firing pin nail was probably too small for most detectors.

[Cryptoad]

10. Kinda like ,,,,

legalizing Zip Guns,,,,, but worst!

[Takket]

12. interesting bind the government is in over this............

you would think the ban is a slam dunk.

Dems don't want more weapons

and rethugs live to defend the NRA, which defends gun manufacturers, who don't want people making guns for free.

But now their precious 2A and the 1A are butting up against the NRA's sales... so what will become of this?

[hack89]

19. This will be lucrative for gun makers

It will be a very long time before decent guns can be printed in significant numbers so they are not concerned about that. But the market for accessories will explode. Gun makers will capitalize on the owners desires to customize their weapons to sell plans over the internet. And because they are not guns they will not be regulate.

[Kablooie]

14. You can still make 2D guns too.

[moondust]

15. The "Guns for Dangerous Felons" Program!

Guns for kids!

Guns for zombies!

Guns for everybody who can press the PRINT button!

Guns! Guns! Guns! Guns! Guns! Guns! Guns!

(RPGs, mortars, and tactical nukes coming soon!)

[xor]

17. What exactly changed recently that makes this more of a concern than it was before?

3D printers and cheap CNC machines are legal and have been legal. The ability to download the plans that a 3D printer can use have been and will continue to be easily accessible to those who want them. Even if there was a way totally prevent people from getting these plans from others, that doesn't prevent them from drawing up their own models. It's easy enough to find information on how firearms work. A bit of research and tinkering will eventually get someone a bullet firing device (a gun) that is mostly created with a 3D printer and/or a desktop CNC machine.

So, I don't see how this changes much of anything. If gangs, terrorists, and others doers of evil saw making 3D printed or CNC milled weapons was a viable strategy, then it would already be a major issue.

At most this might reduce the barrier of entry for some idiot to blow his fingers off. But hey, it's on them if they want to play stupid games. For anyone who is interested in gun control and/or just reducing gun violence in general, then this seems a huge distraction from the real issues.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

18. re: "...almost impossible to control."

I'm quite sure the other existing 300 million plus guns in the US are well controlled. Attempts to abridge First Amendment rights are noted.

Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.

[0rganism]

20. toothpaste? get back in your tube, dammit!

should be able to regulate the sale of these firearms, and their manufacture on a sufficiently large scale, but some dipshit printing a dozen in his basement and giving them to all his friends as birthday presents -- probably not so easy