Newspaper prints story of downloading pistol parts to a plastic parts maker

[Bang]

Will these idiots ever quit? The plastic parts maker that Jay uses to mold car parts opens up the ability to download pistol parts, load them into a CAD system and make a pistol.

Here we go again...nonsense about undetectable plastic pistol like when Glock hit the market.

[DrewPickles]

Can you site the newspaper? Also, I dont think it is necessarily a bad thing, because if you can just download guns off of the internet, would make gun control laws useless. But the liberals probably wont care, they'll just want 2 regulate the internet then

[Odonnks]

3d printing has been in the news and lately ther has been discussion of 'downloading' weapons.
http://www.vancouversun.com/technolo...912/story.html

There are many more articles about 3d printing.

[Kchristy]

I read that the other day. Parts were destroyed after about six firing if I remember correctly. Also, and more importantly, they weren't ballisticly (new word maybe?) critical parts like the barrel or breech. I doubt they have anywhere new the strength for that yet.

[NShortino]

3D printing is pissing people off in more ways than just the thought of printing guns. Many companies are not thrilled with the idea of someone buying their proprietary part, scanning it in 3D, and making exact copies on their own. It creates a huge problem for manufacturers in the same way that Napster changed the way the music industry worked, or any of the industries that have been effected by the internet age. A basic 3D printer only costs around $1000 now, and the price comes down and the quality goes up every year. As much as the music and movie industry complain about piracy, imagine the complaints when we can share the CAD files and print out our Christmas presents.

The reason I bring this up now, is that big companies don't want 3D printing to become mainstream and find its way into our homes, and what better way to do that then demonize the whole concept. Instead of complaining about their intellectual property rights like other industries have done (and failed to stop progress), manufacturers want to stop us from accepting the new technology by making it them out to be tools of crime. By talking about things like printed guns, they want to scare people away from the technology, and hope to use examples like this to pursue legislation that limits the way people will use the technology in the future.

[DClan]

For the cost involved with 3d printing of an AR, I would buy myself a bunch of 80% unfinished lowers (a non-ffl item) ,and a bunch of uppers (also non-ffl). I love the thought of printing it, but I don't think the technology or materials are accessible enough yet to make cost effective. If you've got the money, I get it, without the early adopters some ideas would die before their time, its just not for me. For those of you who are early adopters, those who push and add to the technological development ( of any technology- arms, computers, etc. ), I thank you, you make the world a better place.

[Asmodeus6]

Had a brief discussion about this kind of thing with a techy kid I work with.

He seemed to think the industrial level ones which can form objects from much harder materials could probably be used to build the majority of the parts to make a working firearm.

(This was part II of the convo after discussing chamber pressures of the average rifle cartridge and ABS plastic)

He did some more research on part II.

I can't wait. I always have cool ideas I wish I could just print and try.

[Freedom fighter]

The press is pushing it again with the help of Senator Schumer. I can only assume it is being used to advance their agenda toward a complete ban on firearms.