How responsible is this?

[BVS]

A plastic gun made in a 3D printer fired real bullets during demonstrations over the weekend. Texas-based Defense Distributed has just made the blueprints for the gun available free so it can be replicated by others in their own 3D printers.

The non-profit group, which says it aims to challenge gun laws, posted a video of a successful test firing of its Liberator pistol on its blog Sunday. The group held demonstrations for the media at a Texas firing range this on Friday and Saturday.

The pistol is made of plastic using a 3D printer, which deposits the material layer by layer by squirting it out as it scans across, line by line, the way a regular printer does. Its only non-plastic part is a metal nail that is used as a firing pin — the only part of the gun that would be detectable by metal detectors used to check for weapons.

The video invites people to download the CAD (computer-aided design) file for the gun from a website called DEFCAD.

See how a 3D printer works

The file is available for free. However, anyone who tries to download the file is invited to donate money to the group's "Wiki Weapon" project.

Working gun can be made by anyone using a 3D printer - Americas - World - The Independent



I thought that maybe this should have it's own thread, since theoretically this has the potential of making any current gun control measures obsolete, along with most detection.

My question is how irresponsible can this individual be? He literally shot the first successful recorded bullet from said gun and then posted and advertised the blueprints hours later. The chance of a threat in an airplane or courthouse just increased 10 fold, if not more, overnight.

[IWasBored]

Maybe it's the 32 hours I've been awake, but defcad looks far too much like defecate to me.

But it's okay, because the US allows people to legally make firearms in their homes, they just need to be licensed to sell them! Give me a break, might as well argue that if the founding fathers had foreseen this technology...Scalia-esque interpretations of the constitution...2nd amendment...batshit crazy doom and gloom the world is coming to an end and we need to protect ourselves from Obama....add in the pseudo-communist people owning the means of production thing for a few extra laughs...and it has the potential to turn into something worrisome indeed.

I don't really know what a crypto-anarchist is, but the quotes from that guy in the article I read last night (which may or may not have been the one you linked, since I didn't check), made me want to punch the guy in the face.

[Jive Turkey]

This was inevitable and there will be more problems aside from guns. What do you do though? Make blueprints illegal? If someone wants to print a gun for illegal use, nobody will know until they use it anyway, so banning them is pointless. The only real step to take is to make the penalty for being in possession of one ridiculously strict.

[BVS]

Originally Posted by Jive Turkey

This was inevitable and there will be more problems aside from guns. What do you do though? Make blueprints illegal?

No, but that thing that conservatives always pride themselves on, "personal responsibility" should be more than a slogan.

This was a publicity stunt gone horribly wrong. Here's a young college Republican that can't see beyond his nose, and he just placed the weapon in his enemy's hands.

[bono_212]

Hold on, we need to back way up here.

What in fuck is a 3D printer?

[The Sad Punk]

Originally Posted by bono_212

Hold on, we need to back way up here.

What in fuck is a 3D printer?

Whoooaaaaahoaahoa

3D Printers are the damn FUTURE, kiddo.

Will 3D Printing Change the World? | Off Book | PBS - YouTube

[Jive Turkey]

Originally Posted by BVS

No, but that thing that conservatives always pride themselves on, "personal responsibility" should be more than a slogan.

This was a publicity stunt gone horribly wrong. Here's a young college Republican that can't see beyond his nose, and he just placed the weapon in his enemy's hands.

Oh, I'm not defending him, that's for sure. It's an asshole move. I'm just saying it's one that was going to happen sooner or later. And now trying to deal with the reality poses some unique questions

[Jive Turkey]

Originally Posted by bono_212

Hold on, we need to back way up here.

What in fuck is a 3D printer?

c'maaaaaaaaan

[bono_212]

Originally Posted by The Sad Punk

Whoooaaaaahoaahoa

3D Printers are the damn FUTURE, kiddo.

I don't like this.

[BVS]

Originally Posted by Jive Turkey

Oh, I'm not defending him, that's for sure. It's an asshole move. I'm just saying it's one that was going to happen sooner or later. And now trying to deal with the reality poses some unique questions

Oh, absolutely. I just find it interesting(for a lack of a better word) that it came from this particular individual. His politics(of fear) will feed his own fear.

[BVS]

Originally Posted by bono_212

I don't like this.

The very first 3d printer was demonstrated on my college campus in the late 90's. I was in the college of architecture and it was originally designed with the intent to build architectural models.

Just to give you some perspective...

[bono_212]

Originally Posted by BVS

The very first 3d printer was demonstrated on my college campus in the late 90's. I was in the college of architecture and it was originally designed with the intent to build architectural models.

Just to give you some perspective...

I guess the more I think about it, I was aware this existed, but...holy shit, this might be the scariest technology, from a potential level, I have seen in my lifetime.

[LemonMelon]

How the hell do you print something with internal moving parts, like a gun? That's crazy.

[The Sad Punk]

I just want to know if I'll be able to print GIFs one day

[Jive Turkey]

Originally Posted by LemonMelon

How the hell do you print something with internal moving parts, like a gun? That's crazy.

I think they just print the individual parts and assemble it

[LemonMelon]

That makes sense. They're using blueprints, so the individual pieces would be highlighted.

Apparently you can buy a 3D printer at Staples, which puts them in the running for most evil chain store or something.

[The Sad Punk]

I really don't see what makes 3D printers any more evil or terrifying than, you know, a whole damn bunch of other things humanity has invented.

And yeah, I'm well aware of the link posted at the top of the thread and I still think widespread guns are dangerous, even of the guns look like they were purchased at Cheap as Chips, but I still think the coolness factor of 3D printers outweighs the inevitability of dickish stuff like this.

[LemonMelon]

Yeah I don't care at all really. Sounds like one of those classic inventions that could potentially be soiled by assholes doing their thing. Like the internet.

[solemole]

Plastic guns... basically the whole premise of this move:

[Liesje]

We have one where I work. The problem is the stuff is so expensive you might as well just buy whatever it is you're trying to replicate. For example there is a small plastic piece of equipment that I use to build (dog) agility equipment they could easily replicate for me but it's probably 5 times cheaper for me to just order more of those parts and pay the shipping.