The Fear Of 3D-Printed Guns Is Overblown

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Don't you just hate it when common sense totally ruins a perfectly good political panic attack?

"In terms of the implications for guns laws, we think it's incredibly overblown," said Ladd Everitt, director of communications for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. "Could someone considering a terrorist (or criminal) act buy a 3D printer, download the files, experiment [with them] and go through the full process to make one gun, not knowing how many times it will fire? Probably not."
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It would be far cheaper and easier and safer to buy a real one out of the trunk of a car.
 
"Could someone considering a terrorist (or criminal) act buy a 3D printer, download the files, experiment [with them] and go through the full process to make one gun, not knowing how many times it will fire? Probably not."
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Would someone, considering a terrorist act, care if the gun had long term usage? Probably not.

That said... what he^^^^ said... while you might not be able to get a Barrett .50 cal in California, a trip over to Nevada and you're go to go... easier cheaper... and ok you wouldn't exactly 3d print out one of those. The guns that you might print, would be just as easily obtainable.
 
People who want guns for the commission of crimes already have access to a massive, global supply of assault rifles that can be had for a song. Cheap, fragile, plastic guns are only going to endanger little Billie if his dad lets him use the new 3D printer unsupervised.
 
Most people read this crap and think you're going to print out a gun that's just as good as what comes out of a multi-million dollar factory just like you're printing off a picture of your kids.

As said above, far, far easier to just buy one out of the trunk of a car or even better: If I'm going to commit crimes with it anyway, why not just steal it?

I say it's just too bad we can't print ammo, that would actually be useful.
 
niconx said:
Afraid that metal detectors will no longer be adequate?
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Some idiots are. They seem to think that these guys, being made from mostly plastic, would be able to pass through a metal detector without being detected. Well, sure, they could, if they didn't have any ammo. If they didn't have any ammo, they'd be no more threatening than a toy gun. The ammo would certainly get caught. Even the firing pin, made from a nail, could be detected in a properly functioning metal detector.

The fact is that the general population are idiots, and politicians play right into that.
 
The coverage of this reminds me of the whole "undetectable gun" panic that started when the Glock was first introduced.
 
dgingeri said:
Some idiots are. They seem to think that these guys, being made from mostly plastic, would be able to pass through a metal detector without being detected. Well, sure, they could, if they didn't have any ammo. If they didn't have any ammo, they'd be no more threatening than a toy gun. The ammo would certainly get caught. Even the firing pin, made from a nail, could be detected in a properly functioning metal detector.

The fact is that the general population are idiots, and politicians play right into that.
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The nail probably wouldn't set off a metal detector designed not to go off when every run of the mill belt buckle and underwire passes through them. The ammo is the trickiest part, but it's not like you are trying to hide a lot. I doubt a couple rounds of .32 would set off the metal detector any more than a nail. I can think of several ways that would work.
 
raz-0 said:
The nail probably wouldn't set off a metal detector designed not to go off when every run of the mill belt buckle and underwire passes through them. The ammo is the trickiest part, but it's not like you are trying to hide a lot. I doubt a couple rounds of .32 would set off the metal detector any more than a nail. I can think of several ways that would work.
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You could always shove a few rounds up the ole :p
 
a single round will set off a metal detector. I know because I work at a court house. Belt buckles (depending how big) always are setting off the metal detectors. A small handcuff key will set off the metal detectors. X-ray machine also detect gun powders and other explosives.

The public is stupid, and politicians know it. If you can work a drill, you can make your own single shot gun with a block of plastic, duct tape, and a nail for a firing pin. It isn't hard.

Homemade plastic or paper shotgun shells filled with glass is more dangerous than trying to sneak in a .380. People think making a gun is magic done by a level 80 wizard.
 
wait, so 3D printers can't make bullet casings or gun powder?
what a waste of technology
 
dgingeri said:
Some idiots are. They seem to think that these guys, being made from mostly plastic, would be able to pass through a metal detector without being detected. Well, sure, they could, if they didn't have any ammo. If they didn't have any ammo, they'd be no more threatening than a toy gun. The ammo would certainly get caught. Even the firing pin, made from a nail, could be detected in a properly functioning metal detector.

The fact is that the general population are idiots, and politicians play right into that.
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Keep in mind that it all depends on the metal detector. If you mean the ones that scan the objects on your person, those ones might not be able to detect a plastic gun, but if you put it in a suitcase, it will still show up as a gun shaped object. If I remember correctly, there was similar histeria over the glock (it could be another pistol, whichever is mostly plastic), but it turns out that metal detectors had no problem picking up a gun shaped object.
 
Why worry about trying to make a new gun to get through airport security, when all you have to do is outsmart the TSA?
 
raz-0 said:
The nail probably wouldn't set off a metal detector designed not to go off when every run of the mill belt buckle and underwire passes through them. The ammo is the trickiest part, but it's not like you are trying to hide a lot. I doubt a couple rounds of .32 would set off the metal detector any more than a nail. I can think of several ways that would work.
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The last time I went through a metal detector at a airport, I was flying to California. I put all my pocket change on my dresser, along with my pocket knife and work keys. I eliminated all metal from my person, (or so I thought) even going as far as wearing pants with a plastic button and zipper and a velcro belt. I put my watch and smartphone in the bucket to keep them from setting it off I did miss one thing, though. I had a dime, one slim dime, hiding between some singles I left in my pocket. That set off the detector, and I wound up having to go through an extensive patdown. I almost missed my flight because of that stupid dime. If it was just a belt buckle, they'd pass the wand over it and everything would be fine.

They detect more than you think.
 
Totally saw this one coming. Any excuse to fill the public with FUD.

Anyone ever hear about a ZIP GUN?
 
Or you kill people how they do in prison just use a plastic shank/knife. Personally if someone was going to kill me and I had a choice of them bashing my brains in with a baseball bat or knifeing me I would prefer to be shot with a gun.
 
I wouldn't worry about this until someone figures out how to print a nuke :)
 
dgingeri said:
They seem to think that these guys, being made from mostly plastic, would be able to pass through a metal detector without being detected. Well, sure, they could, if they didn't have any ammo.
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The problem is not the ammo, the problem is the barrel & the breechblock. There's such a thing as caseless ammunition. You can make just about the whole gun out of polymer, but the barrel absolutely has to be made of metal. (The existence of ceramic barrels is a myth.)
 
GaryJohnson said:
The problem is not the ammo, the problem is the barrel & the breechblock. There's such a thing as caseless ammunition. You can make just about the whole gun out of polymer, but the barrel absolutely has to be made of metal. (The existence of ceramic barrels is a myth.)
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yeah, there is caseless ammo, but it still requires a metal cup for the primer and a metal bullet. That's still more metal than a dime, which I know from direct experience a metal detector will see. Also, a plastic barrel, especially a 3D printed plastic barrel, would be far too weak to support caseless ammo. While it could support low power cased ammo, it would probably only last a shot or two before it would crack, maybe up to 3 shots with a .32, but I doubt those would cause any more injury than a hangnail. With caseless ammo, the barrel would explode and seriously injure the wielder as well as send the bullet into some random direction. It would not be useful at all.

Granted, there are still other possibilities for getting ammo through a metal detector. There are also other possibilities for getting a better working gun through a metal detector. The fears of 3D printed guns are just stupid. They're nothing worth thinking about right now. Later, maybe, but not now.
 
Who cares about getting a plastic gun on a plane? You still have to get the bullets through and they are not plastic.

This is just a panic attack by a government agency (Administration as well) that is VERY hostile towards individual freedom, the 2nd amendment, and "do it yourself-ers" in general.
 
dgingeri said:
The last time I went through a metal detector at a airport, I was flying to California. I put all my pocket change on my dresser, along with my pocket knife and work keys. I eliminated all metal from my person, (or so I thought) even going as far as wearing pants with a plastic button and zipper and a velcro belt. I put my watch and smartphone in the bucket to keep them from setting it off I did miss one thing, though. I had a dime, one slim dime, hiding between some singles I left in my pocket. That set off the detector, and I wound up having to go through an extensive patdown. I almost missed my flight because of that stupid dime. If it was just a belt buckle, they'd pass the wand over it and everything would be fine.

They detect more than you think.
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No they don't. I have a firm grasp of what they detect. I don't disagree with your experience. It IS possible. However, that same detector is then going ot be detecting a lot of zippers, buttons, eyelets, etc. I can tell you from MY personal experience that there are plenty of airport metal detectors set up with the sensitivity not cranked up that far.

You are also making the mistaken assumption that the ammo rides in on you. if you do it right, it rides in on the x-ray belt. Color x-ray is based on density measurement. You just have to stash it in something regarded as innocuous with appropriate density and that can survive cursory inspection. Is it risk free? No. But if you want to get on a plane armed for terroristic purposes, you have opted into a great deal of risk already.

Then there is your mistake of thinking the only target is the airport. The TSA might have some or all detectors set that sensitive, and part of the reason they might is because they are authorized to do fairly invasive pat downs and can accept false positives from things like under wires. I can state form experience that your local court house or state capitol building are NOT cranked up as high as your local airport. Neither are schools or concerts or sporting events if they even have them at all, and many of those venues don't bother with x-ray. As long as you plunk down something in a dish that looks like something permissible, it gets a glance and you collect your crap and move on.

HAs it ushered in a paradigm shift in security? Hell no. We live in a world where run of the mill firearms get into the hands of inmates in prison. It's a secure facility with the population securing it generally having a vested interest in NOT having the inmates armed. If that has holes, everything that involves the general public consuming a service looks like a frikin screen door.
 
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