Click, print, shoot: Downloadable guns possible
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Downloading a gun design to your computer, building it with a three-dimensional printer that uses plastics and other materials, and firing it minutes later. No background checks, no questions asked.
Sound far-fetched? It's not. And that is disquieting for gun control advocates.
Rep. Steven Israel, D-NY, said the prospect of such guns becoming reality is reason enough for the renewal of the Undetectable Firearms Act, which makes it illegal to build guns that can't be detected by X-ray or metallic scanners. That law expires at the end of 2013.
At least one group, Defense Distributed, is claiming to have created downloadable weapon parts that can be built using the increasingly popular new-generation of printer that can create 3-D objects with moving parts.
University of Texas law student Cody Wilson, 24-year-old "Wiki Weapons" project leader for Defense Distributed, says the group last month test fired a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle — one of the weapon-types used in the Connecticut school massacre. Video posted by the group on YouTube indicates the gun was built with some key parts created on a 3-D printer and fired six times before it broke.
No independent observer verified the test. Federal firearms regulators said they are aware of the technology's gun-making potential but do not believe an entire weapon has yet been made.
Still, Israel said the Defense Distributed effort was chilling.
When the Undetectable Firearms Act was last renewed in 2003, "a gun made by a 3-D printer was like a Star Trek episode, but now we know it's real," he said.
Even with gun control pushed to the top of the national political conversation, Wilson is steadfast about reaching his goal of making a fully downloadable gun.
He keeps three AR-15 parts — one black, one white and another green — in his tidy student apartment in Austin, Texas. This weekend, he and his partners plan to print four new lower receivers — the segment of the gun that includes the trigger, magazine and grip.
Wilson was saddened by the Connecticut school attack but said Thursday that protecting the right to bear arms by giving everyone access to guns is more important in the long term than a single horrible crime.
"Clearly what happened in Connecticut was a tragedy," he told The Associated Press. "Still, by affording the Second Amendment protection, we understand events like these will happen."
He said he discussed with his partners whether they should suspend their effort, and they all decided it was too important to stop.
Wilson acknowledged there still are many technical hurdles to creating a complete gun from a 3-D printer and provided no estimate on when the goal might be reached.
Special Agent Helen Dunkel of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which helps enforce gun laws, said the agency is familiar with Wilson's project. She didn't offer an opinion but noted there is nothing illegal about making many types of guns at home. Exceptions would be high-powered weapons such as machine guns and those not detectable by airport scanners.
Advances in 3-D printing technology are fueling Wilson's goal. The printers were developed for the automobile, aerospace and other industries to create product prototypes from the same hard plastics used in toys such as Legos. Hobbyists mainly use the printers to design Christmas ornaments, toys and gadget accessories.
Prices of the machines have fallen as the consumer market grows, leading to a surge in interest from people in the so-called "maker" scene. Low-end 3-D printers can now be purchased online for as little as $1,500. More high-end printers needed to make gun parts cost at least $10,000.
Stratasys Ltd. makes 3-D printers, but gun-making was never something envisioned for the machines, said Shane Glenn, director of investor relations at the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based company.
"The gun issue is something that the 3-D printing industry will have to address going forward," Glenn said.
Right now, most people interested in 3-D printing rent time on one of the machines. There are a number of businesses and co-ops in major cities that allow access to the machines for a nominal fee.
At San Francisco's TechShop, which features a 3-D printer for its members, assembling firearms is strictly prohibited and staff is trained on the policy, company spokeswoman Carrie Motamedi said.
Wilson acknowledged his idea has met resistance from those active in 3-D printing.
"The early adopters of 3-D printing technology seem to be an educated, more liberal group who were against firearms to begin with," he said.
Some involved in the development of the technology are now worried the gun project might spur regulations that will hurt or curtail their projects, he added.
Early schematics created by Wilson's group were posted on Thingiverse, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based website that serves as a hub for 3-D printing aficionados. After the school shooting, Thingiverse took down the links.
Spokeswoman Jenifer Howard said the focus of the website is "to empower the creative process and make things for good."
Thingiverse's terms of service state the site cannot be used to share content that contributes to the creation of weapons.
Wilson said his group has posted the links to the schematics on its own website.
Paul Saffo, a Silicon Valley technology forecaster who teaches at Stanford University's engineering school, said the Defense Distributed work carries on a tradition of tech geeks using innovation to make a political point, in this case on gun control and Second Amendment freedom.
"If you want to get people's attention in Washington, you say something. If you want to do it in Silicon Valley, you make something," Saffo said.
He said the technology exists now for a highly motivated group to make a plastic gun on a 3-D printer that could avoid airport scanners. But the equipment is still too expensive for most people.
"Nobody right now needs to worry about the bright teenager making a gun on a printer in their bedroom," he said.
___
Freelance video producer Jay Olivier contributed to this report from Austin, Texas.
Sound far-fetched? It's not. And that is disquieting for gun control advocates.
Rep. Steven Israel, D-NY, said the prospect of such guns becoming reality is reason enough for the renewal of the Undetectable Firearms Act, which makes it illegal to build guns that can't be detected by X-ray or metallic scanners. That law expires at the end of 2013.
At least one group, Defense Distributed, is claiming to have created downloadable weapon parts that can be built using the increasingly popular new-generation of printer that can create 3-D objects with moving parts.
University of Texas law student Cody Wilson, 24-year-old "Wiki Weapons" project leader for Defense Distributed, says the group last month test fired a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle — one of the weapon-types used in the Connecticut school massacre. Video posted by the group on YouTube indicates the gun was built with some key parts created on a 3-D printer and fired six times before it broke.
No independent observer verified the test. Federal firearms regulators said they are aware of the technology's gun-making potential but do not believe an entire weapon has yet been made.
Still, Israel said the Defense Distributed effort was chilling.
When the Undetectable Firearms Act was last renewed in 2003, "a gun made by a 3-D printer was like a Star Trek episode, but now we know it's real," he said.
Even with gun control pushed to the top of the national political conversation, Wilson is steadfast about reaching his goal of making a fully downloadable gun.
He keeps three AR-15 parts — one black, one white and another green — in his tidy student apartment in Austin, Texas. This weekend, he and his partners plan to print four new lower receivers — the segment of the gun that includes the trigger, magazine and grip.
Wilson was saddened by the Connecticut school attack but said Thursday that protecting the right to bear arms by giving everyone access to guns is more important in the long term than a single horrible crime.
"Clearly what happened in Connecticut was a tragedy," he told The Associated Press. "Still, by affording the Second Amendment protection, we understand events like these will happen."
He said he discussed with his partners whether they should suspend their effort, and they all decided it was too important to stop.
Wilson acknowledged there still are many technical hurdles to creating a complete gun from a 3-D printer and provided no estimate on when the goal might be reached.
Special Agent Helen Dunkel of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which helps enforce gun laws, said the agency is familiar with Wilson's project. She didn't offer an opinion but noted there is nothing illegal about making many types of guns at home. Exceptions would be high-powered weapons such as machine guns and those not detectable by airport scanners.
Advances in 3-D printing technology are fueling Wilson's goal. The printers were developed for the automobile, aerospace and other industries to create product prototypes from the same hard plastics used in toys such as Legos. Hobbyists mainly use the printers to design Christmas ornaments, toys and gadget accessories.
Prices of the machines have fallen as the consumer market grows, leading to a surge in interest from people in the so-called "maker" scene. Low-end 3-D printers can now be purchased online for as little as $1,500. More high-end printers needed to make gun parts cost at least $10,000.
Stratasys Ltd. makes 3-D printers, but gun-making was never something envisioned for the machines, said Shane Glenn, director of investor relations at the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based company.
"The gun issue is something that the 3-D printing industry will have to address going forward," Glenn said.
Right now, most people interested in 3-D printing rent time on one of the machines. There are a number of businesses and co-ops in major cities that allow access to the machines for a nominal fee.
At San Francisco's TechShop, which features a 3-D printer for its members, assembling firearms is strictly prohibited and staff is trained on the policy, company spokeswoman Carrie Motamedi said.
Wilson acknowledged his idea has met resistance from those active in 3-D printing.
"The early adopters of 3-D printing technology seem to be an educated, more liberal group who were against firearms to begin with," he said.
Some involved in the development of the technology are now worried the gun project might spur regulations that will hurt or curtail their projects, he added.
Early schematics created by Wilson's group were posted on Thingiverse, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based website that serves as a hub for 3-D printing aficionados. After the school shooting, Thingiverse took down the links.
Spokeswoman Jenifer Howard said the focus of the website is "to empower the creative process and make things for good."
Thingiverse's terms of service state the site cannot be used to share content that contributes to the creation of weapons.
Wilson said his group has posted the links to the schematics on its own website.
Paul Saffo, a Silicon Valley technology forecaster who teaches at Stanford University's engineering school, said the Defense Distributed work carries on a tradition of tech geeks using innovation to make a political point, in this case on gun control and Second Amendment freedom.
"If you want to get people's attention in Washington, you say something. If you want to do it in Silicon Valley, you make something," Saffo said.
He said the technology exists now for a highly motivated group to make a plastic gun on a 3-D printer that could avoid airport scanners. But the equipment is still too expensive for most people.
"Nobody right now needs to worry about the bright teenager making a gun on a printer in their bedroom," he said.
___
Freelance video producer Jay Olivier contributed to this report from Austin, Texas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_Switzerland
I'd prefer to move in Switzerland's direction on gun policy... that gun training be required of every adult, and each adult be assigned one.
the receiver still requires precise machining. this is just another scary story to frighten the sheeple and convince them that their Constitutional Rights are a danger. remember how the Patriot Act was passed in the dark of night while everyone believed that Sadam had weapons of mass destruction and helped plan the Trade Center attacks. Those lies and that hysteria is exactly what is happening with guns. Irresponsible drivers kill more Americans every year than irresponsible gun owners but nobody is calling to outlaw cars or even institute a 7 day waiting period.
Since about the mid 19th century, a competent machinist with access to a standard machine shop has had the ability to make a gun.
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As for making one on a 3-D printer-no doubt it is possible. Theoretically you could also build a surface-air missile, an ICBM, and if you could get a little plutonium somewhere, a thermonuclear weapon.
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Of all the things keeping me up nights, this is pretty far down the list-somewhere just south of weaponized waterfowl.
Got to love the sensationalist media, you can build most of the gun out of plastic but unless the projectile is plastic as well firing a metalic projectile will destroy the plastic barrel on the first shot. This is a nice fantasy but weapons have been around for 200 years i am sure that during that time many manufacturers have looked into cheaper easier ways to produce their products that havent panned out this is another one. You can use the 3d printer for many of the parts but severeal key components will always me made of metal.
This is nothing but a bunch of idiotic hysteria. You still need a steel barrel to handle the extreme pressures and several other steel parts to make a functioning gun.
And just how hard is it to go to your neighborhood home supply store and buy a length of metal tubing to add to your plastic firearm? After all, how long does it have to last? You can always make a new one.  Â
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The sensational media always made a huge deal about plastic guns and how people could sneak them into airports, but never mentioned the over 1 LB of metal in them.
 @NGerblansky remember in Star Trek there 3D printers were called replicators. And I especially like the one where they takes Worfs spind and give him a new one..but that is a way off.
If they pass a law not allowing this technology to "print" a gun only honest law abiding citizens will comply. Criminals will be "printing" guns all day long. Plus they will be so cheap that they can shoot and leave them whenever they commit a crime.
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All the more reason that honest law abiding citizens need guns for self protection.
 @RalphCramden And, the plastic printed weapon would only be able to fire one shot or two before self destructing. Â
 @Saltire  @RalphCramden ~  Hmm... "disposable" guns... use it once or twice, throw it away, go home and print out another one... sounds like something out of the Jetsons..!  :-) Â
What comes after that... 3-D printable cars? Â Â
 @margay1  @SaltireÂ
"Honey, i dented the car door today. Can you print me a new one?"
 @RalphCramden  @Saltire ~  Well, I can believe that... the stuff they're doing with technology these days never ceases to amaze me..!
Now I have this mental image ~ a little "video" ~ of clicking the "print" button on my little H-P LaserJet, and watching a little car door or a little hood come out the top of the printer... :-)
 @margay1  @SaltireÂ
They have already made a car. It was just the shell but it was as solid as any that comes off the assembly line.
 @SaltireÂ
For now. Technology could come up with better materials and a way to fire plastic projectiles and high velocity under lower SAAMI pressures so the weapon would survive multiple rounds.