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Legacy Personal Blogs 3D Printing Firearms - Should we be scared?
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  • Author Author: Former Member
  • Date Created: 22 May 2013 12:32 PM Date Created
  • Views 921 views
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  • Comments 2 comments
  • firearms
  • 3d_printing
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3D Printing Firearms - Should we be scared?

Former Member
Former Member
22 May 2013

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3D Printing is heralding an alleged revolution and depending on who you talk to it's not all good news.


Pretty much the moment 3D Printers could be bought for the home people were talking about the possibilities of 3D printed weapons and most worryingly of all 3D Printer Firearms. With the US State Department demanding the removal of the designs and Kim Dotcom having pulled them from download site Megaupload should we be worried?

 

The truth is that the idea of a fully functional non metallica Firearm is nothing new. The ceramic Glock 17 has been around for decades and the idea of a homemade pistol created from moulded resin composite was made famous by John Malkovich "In the Line of Fire" back in 1993. So nothing new but but should we be afraid of armies of people sneaking weapons into secure areas or using them to hijack aircraft? Honestly, no more than usual, having seen "the Liberator" in action the weapon is a .22 rimfire single shot pistol; with such a limited calibre, single shot capacity, slow reloading and likelihood of catastrophic failure means that your average terrorist will likely stick with home cooked explosives, or simply paying/threatening someone to sneak automatic weapons somewhere convenient.

 

While technology may well improve over time earlier experiments with 3D printed components for rifles have had a VERY short life as the laminated structures can't handle the forces involved. Wired showed us earlier such conponents in action and the limitations of 3D printing have been brought to light by people who actively work at the cutting edge of the medium. The more serious issue, and the one of greater concern to law enforcement, is that 3D printing will make firearms more easily available. There are many possible answers to this problem, including people asking about 3D printed body armour, but, imo, a more sensible option is the greater control over cost and availability of ammunition. After all without a bullet a handgun is just an fancy looking lump of metal and plastic, and better bullet control is something that has being advocated in the recent US gun control debate and also by stand-up comedian Chris Rock (NSFW Language Warning). This is especially true since body armour is typically made from woven Kevlar or hard ceramic plates, neither of which are likely to be found on a 3D printer any time soon.

 

The truth here is that the law, as in so many areas of society, is struggling to keep up with the pace of social and technological change. A globe spanning digital world, with transnational companies, instant online commerce is pushing us closer to a world where legal issues will need to be considered on a world rather than national scale. The facts highlighted by 3D printed guns is that we need better health care for those with mental health issues and to better educate ourselves about the dangers all around us. While 3D printed guns are dangerous there have and always will be ways to do others harm be it cars, knives, martial arts or harsh language. With the 3D printer being used to create the liberator costing $8000, having seen video where users of cheaper printers are struggling to reproduce the results, and 3D printed guns likely to struggle to handle anything above a .22 round we can likely sleep a little saver by looking a little closer at this news story. The bigger revolution here is likely to be far more in terms of law rather than manufacturing, but that is a revolution we look for everyday and have for a long time.

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  • Former Member
    Former Member over 10 years ago in reply to DAB

    A similar theme about the nature of knowledge is followed through in Arthur C.Clarke's novel 'The Trigger'

    Once something is discovered by one person it is possible if not likely that someone, somewhere else will have the same idea.

     

     

    The issue here is not really one of people trying to forbid or hide knowledge, it's more to do with how the use of that knowledge should be regulated. 

     

    The issues presented by a 3D printed firearm are nothing new.

    Home made plastic or non metallic weapons have been around for over 20 years.
    Home made firearms have been available to anyone with a basic machine shop since the days of mussel loading firearms.

    And most people with a basic understanding of explosives can create some pretty volatile compounds with household chemicals, a kitchen, sometime and a reckless regard for their own safety.

     

    From a legal point of view is it more an issue of can existing regulation be extended to cover these issues or does the increasingly global nature of digital communication and commerce call for a treaty based response? In this situation the call for better control manufactured ammunition may be a far more effective legal answer that trying to control the whole internet.

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  • DAB
    DAB over 10 years ago

    In the right (or wrong) hands, everything can be turned into a weapon.

     

    Like illegal drugs, there is no way that the government or anyone else can control the flow of information, devices or their use for less than desireable uses.

     

    Technology is available as public knowledge.  Motivated people will find both "good" and "bad" uses for that technology.  That fact is not an excuse for anyone to try to control the knowledge.

     

    I know of no instance in human history where an attempt to control information and knowledge succeeded. 

    At best it slows down the information dissemination. 

    At worst, it makes the forbidden knowledge more attractive for people to know.

     

    Plus I get really scared when a few people decide who should or should not have that knowledge.

     

    Just my opinion.

    DAB

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