3D-Printed Handgun Project Hits Roadblock

[Gahars]

If you haven't been reading up on 3D printing lately, you should. While the technology is still very much in its infancy, the potential it holds is staggering. They may soon be used to revolutionize factories, construction, and space exploration. (Please note: I'm not stopping there because I ran out of things to list; I'm stopping there because if I kept on going, I'd be here all night.)

3D Printing isn't just something large corporations and government agencies will have access to, either. Consumer models for the home are already being sold and marketed. Their use is a bit limited right now, but one group has been looking into changing all that.

The Defense Distributed project, lead by University of Texas graduate Cody Wilson, recently received funding to design a 3D-printable firearm. Anyone with a 3D printer and the proper materials would be able to forge their own handgun in the comforts of their home.

However, it looks like the project has suffered a bit of a misfire.

As reported here in September, Defense Distributed, a group headed by University of Texas graduate student Wilson, began navigating the uncharted material and regulatory waters around designing a gun to be printed from common plastic on a relatively low-cost 3D printer like the MakerBot Replicator.

Now, Wired's Robert Beckhusen reports that Stratasys has voided the lease for the printer Defense Distributed had rented, and sent representatives to physically reclaim it last week.

Further, Beckhusen reports that a visit to the Austin, TX branch of the ATF turned into an unexpected questioning session for Wilson when he went down to investigate the legal requirements of the Defense Distributed project.

CNET

Considering the aim of this project, this sort of backlash isn't much of a surprise. The law around an initiative like this is pretty murky, and worry over the scope of it is certainly understandable. After all, how can you hope to regulate firearms when everyone can easily make their own?

Defense Distributed is not deterred, yet. Despite this wave of setbacks, they're refusing to recoil from the project's aims.

So, what do you think? Do these guys have a shot, or should they be suppressed in the name of safety?

 

[Santee]

If they don't do it some other group will, it's not like they can prevent it completely, or at all for that matter.

 

[Tom]

Yeah I saw, maybe they should just get a mendle reprap

 

[MelodieOctavia]

Once the plans hit the net, It's game over. Regardless of the legality of it. For that matter, it doesn't matter who publicly releases the plans for the first 3D printable handgun, because in the end SOMEONE will. The only way to combat this would be to combat the sale and distribution of 3D printers.

 

[LightyKD]

This should be stopped immediately! The United States already has a huge gun problem. Every day/night there's a new murder in the news and that's just the five county area I live in. Being a person who survived a armed home invasion, I can say from experience that allowing people to just print guns willy-nilly is a horrid idea.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

This should be stopped immediately! The United States already has a huge gun problem. Every day/night there's a new murder in the news and that's just the five county area I live in. Being a person who survived a armed home invasion, I can say from experience that allowing people to just print guns willy-nilly is a horrid idea.

I'll give you a hint: Guns never were the problem.

 

[Clarky]

Woah....this sounds....mad. I agree with what TwinRetro is saying, perhaps 3d should be limited to where they are sold and used

 

[LightyKD]

This should be stopped immediately! The United States already has a huge gun problem. Every day/night there's a new murder in the news and that's just the five county area I live in. Being a person who survived a armed home invasion, I can say from experience that allowing people to just print guns willy-nilly is a horrid idea.

I'll give you a hint: Guns never were the problem.

People (especially on the right) say that all the damn time but frankly, easy access to handguns is not the solution either. There needs to be a national effort to deal with the mental health of its citizens and teaching better conflict resolution.

 

[air2004]

techcrunch had an article on this, which lead to another a site for building your own printer. I think there was a guy on there who printed his on assault rifle and claimed to have shot off 200 rounds

 

[MelodieOctavia]

This should be stopped immediately! The United States already has a huge gun problem. Every day/night there's a new murder in the news and that's just the five county area I live in. Being a person who survived a armed home invasion, I can say from experience that allowing people to just print guns willy-nilly is a horrid idea.

I'll give you a hint: Guns never were the problem.

People (especially on the right) say that all the damn time but frankly, easy access to handguns is not the solution either. There needs to be a national effort to deal with the mental health of its citizens and teaching better conflict resolution.

If you take a look in any history book, you know that killing has been an unofficial pastime of the Human race long before the idea of propelling tiny bits of metal out of a narrow tube. If you take the guns out of law abiding citizen's hands, only criminals and the mentally unstable will have guns. Even if you somehow manage to rid the entire country of firearms (which is a large stretch), people will still kill people. If someone REALLY wants you dead, they certainly don't need a gun to do it.

 

[Armadillo]

Don't have guns freely available here, people just stab each other instead.

 

[LightyKD]

This should be stopped immediately! The United States already has a huge gun problem. Every day/night there's a new murder in the news and that's just the five county area I live in. Being a person who survived a armed home invasion, I can say from experience that allowing people to just print guns willy-nilly is a horrid idea.

I'll give you a hint: Guns never were the problem.

People (especially on the right) say that all the damn time but frankly, easy access to handguns is not the solution either. There needs to be a national effort to deal with the mental health of its citizens and teaching better conflict resolution.

If you take a look in any history book, you know that killing has been an unofficial pastime of the Human race long before the idea of propelling tiny bits of metal out of a narrow tube. If you take the guns out of law abiding citizen's hands, only criminals and the mentally unstable will have guns. Even if you somehow manage to rid the entire country of firearms (which is a large stretch), people will still kill people. If someone REALLY wants you dead, they certainly don't need a gun to do it.

Yes, because humanity is destined to be barbaric for the rest of our specie's existence right? I swear, that mindset sickens me! I know that there have been great atrocities in the past but we are not a bunch of rabid killers. Humans have sensibility, free will and the ability to do what is right, we dream great dreams and create great things. It all boils down to mindset and frankly there just needs to be a better effort in this less than great country to teach people how to deal with their problems in a way that does not result in death.

 

[the_randomizer]

If guns kill people then spoons make people fat.

 

[Hyro-Sama]

If guns kill people then spoons make people fat.

 

[frogboy]

I think I'm getting good, I can tell what topics are started by Gahars by reading the title.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

This should be stopped immediately! The United States already has a huge gun problem. Every day/night there's a new murder in the news and that's just the five county area I live in. Being a person who survived a armed home invasion, I can say from experience that allowing people to just print guns willy-nilly is a horrid idea.

I'll give you a hint: Guns never were the problem.

People (especially on the right) say that all the damn time but frankly, easy access to handguns is not the solution either. There needs to be a national effort to deal with the mental health of its citizens and teaching better conflict resolution.

If you take a look in any history book, you know that killing has been an unofficial pastime of the Human race long before the idea of propelling tiny bits of metal out of a narrow tube. If you take the guns out of law abiding citizen's hands, only criminals and the mentally unstable will have guns. Even if you somehow manage to rid the entire country of firearms (which is a large stretch), people will still kill people. If someone REALLY wants you dead, they certainly don't need a gun to do it.

Yes, because humanity is destined to be barbaric for the rest of our specie's existence right? I swear, that mindset sickens me! I know that there have been great atrocities in the past but we are not a bunch of rabid killers. Humans have sensibility, free will and the ability to do what is right, we dream great dreams and create great things. It all boils down to mindset and frankly there just needs to be a better effort in this less than great country to teach people how to deal with their problems in a way that does not result in death.

We are animals. Fact. We are Human. Fact. The "mindset" may sicken you, but we as a global people are not going to change our spots overnight. It might be several generations from now until we will survive as a peaceful race...or we will exterminate ourselves in that pursuit.

The fact of the matter is, it's cheaper to put people in prison, and ship people off in body bags than provide mental health to everyone that needs it. This is the society that we as a people have let grow and prosper, and if we want change, there is going to have to be a lot more people aware of their situation than there currently is now. That's going to be quite a task considering Television and Internet is more used as an escape from reality than a portal of information.

 

[Hanafuda]

Yes, because humanity is destined to be barbaric for the rest of our specie's existence right? I swear, that mindset sickens me! I know that there have been great atrocities in the past but we are not a bunch of rabid killers. Humans have sensibility, free will and the ability to do what is right, we dream great dreams and create great things. It all boils down to mindset and frankly there just needs to be a better effort in this less than great country to teach people how to deal with their problems in a way that does not result in death.

It does not all boil down to "mindset." Some of it boils down to biology. There's a reason we all have four pointy teeth called "canines" in our mouths. Some truths cannot be changed by a mindset. That doesn't mean a human being cannot control their primitive urges and exercise reason over rage. In fact, most do. But the weak-minded and evil-hearted will always lose that battle to control their greed, lust, and hate, and resort to murder as a solution. Sorry, you don't want to hear that, but this is the human experience. Better look around and figure out what's up, and while you're at it, get a Remington 870.

 

[LightyKD]

Yes, because humanity is destined to be barbaric for the rest of our specie's existence right? I swear, that mindset sickens me! I know that there have been great atrocities in the past but we are not a bunch of rabid killers. Humans have sensibility, free will and the ability to do what is right, we dream great dreams and create great things. It all boils down to mindset and frankly there just needs to be a better effort in this less than great country to teach people how to deal with their problems in a way that does not result in death.

It does not all boil down to "mindset." Some of it boils down to biology. There's a reason we all have four pointy teeth called "canines" in our mouths. Some truths cannot be changed by a mindset. That doesn't mean a human being cannot control their primitive urges and exercise reason over rage. In fact, most do. But the weak-minded and evil-hearted will always lose that battle to control their greed, lust, and hate, and resort to murder as a solution. Sorry, you don't want to hear that, but this is the human experience. Better look around and figure out what's up, and while you're at it, get a Remington 870.

Ever heard of "being the change you want to be". Sorry but I'm going to go running around packing a handgun just because everyone else thinks it's the cool/macho thing to do.

 

[ferofax]

What's a 3D printer anyway? Is that one of those computerized thingies that carve miniatures of stuff?

Anyways, why print, it's relatively easy to build a wooden single-shooter. It's even easier to modify into a fist-shooter (one of those knuckle contraptions that, when you punch it into someone, triggers into firing a slug). Of course, you can't expect much range from that though.

You just need to know how to get the firing pin to the bullet. The rest is easy.

 

[Hanafuda]

Yes, because humanity is destined to be barbaric for the rest of our specie's existence right? I swear, that mindset sickens me! I know that there have been great atrocities in the past but we are not a bunch of rabid killers. Humans have sensibility, free will and the ability to do what is right, we dream great dreams and create great things. It all boils down to mindset and frankly there just needs to be a better effort in this less than great country to teach people how to deal with their problems in a way that does not result in death.

It does not all boil down to "mindset." Some of it boils down to biology. There's a reason we all have four pointy teeth called "canines" in our mouths. Some truths cannot be changed by a mindset. That doesn't mean a human being cannot control their primitive urges and exercise reason over rage. In fact, most do. But the weak-minded and evil-hearted will always lose that battle to control their greed, lust, and hate, and resort to murder as a solution. Sorry, you don't want to hear that, but this is the human experience. Better look around and figure out what's up, and while you're at it, get a Remington 870.

Ever heard of "being the change you want to be". Sorry but I'm going to go running around packing a handgun just because everyone else thinks it's the cool/macho thing to do.

A Remington 870 is a pump shotgun, for home defense. You know, to give you a fighting chance of keeping the people you love alive.