PDA

View Full Version : 3D-Printed Handgun Prompts Congressman To Propose Impotent Legislation




Lucille
05-04-2013, 10:31 AM
Who didn't see that coming?

3D-Printed Handgun Prompts Congressman To Propose Impotent Legislation
http://reason.com/blog/2013/05/04/3d-printed-handgun-prompts-congressman-t


After Forbes's Andy Greenberg broke the news that Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed have successfully created a (apparently) working gun with a 3D printer, Rep. Steve Israel, who has been warning of doom, doom!, should this day come, quickly issued a press release calling for new laws to head off the menace of DIY weaponry. Israel's objection is, allegedly, that Wilson's 3D-printed gun is made of ABS plastic, and therefore invisible to metal detectors (Wilson built a hunk of metal into his gun to address this concern, but it could easily be left out). It's hard to believe, though, that the congressman would be thrilled if Wilson had printed his pistol out of metal, instead. Not that it matters, though — the legal tweak that Steve Israel proposes is about as enforceable as a ban on photocopying your own ass in your home office.
[...]
The legislation (PDF) that Rep. Israel proposes (that's the nervous fellow himself to the right) would establish a "security exemplar" as a standard that all homemade firearms would have to meet. Any weapon less detectible would be illegal. A similar restriction would be extended to homemade ammunition magazines. This piece of legislation doesn't propose to ban DIY manufacturing — just to restrict it to weapons with substantial metal components — but it's hard to see this as anything other than a shot across the bow. A shot from a popgun.

Home manufacturers are the specific target here, since the legislation refers to the alleged threat posed by "computer numerical control mills ('CNC mills'), 3-dimensional printers ('3D printers'), and laser cutting machines" in the hands of "a person who is not a licensed manufacturer." And that's precisely the flaw with the "Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act" — it proposes to tell people what they can make with devices that are sitting in their workshops, out of sight of prying eyes. The bad guys from which the law is supposedly intended to protect us would be inconvenienced only if they actually took their printers to the airport to make their guns at the ticket counter in public view, though the law could effectively prevent harmless people from bringing 3D-printed guns and magazines made of plastic to commercial ranges (thought there's no requirement that ranges purchase magnetometers to test such weapons). What the law absolutely can't do is reach into private spaces to prevent the manufacture of forbidden devices.

I suppose Rep. Israel would argue that there's a symbolic importance to his legislation, to demonstrate the government's firm intention to keep the public safe from ... new things? What's really demonstrated by his proposed bill, however, is just how impotent the government is when opposed by newly empowered individuals.

ZENemy
05-04-2013, 10:43 AM
Who gives a fuck what congress says, they vote themselves raises and voted themselves the ability to inside trade, they have abdicated their authority. Dont they have a less than 10% approval rating? Im sorry but we should be laughing at these idiots and their rules.

This is going to be like torrent-ing, it wont be stopped.

Matt Collins
05-04-2013, 10:59 AM
Who gives a fuck what congress says,Many of the people who enforce the law

ZENemy
05-04-2013, 11:08 AM
Many of the people who enforce the law


Yaaaaawn

BuddyRey
05-04-2013, 12:04 PM
lol, bring it on, Congress critters. These guns are going to be absolutely ubiquitous in the ensuing years, and there's very little they can do about it.

jclay2
05-04-2013, 12:21 PM
Many of the people who enforce the law

aka traitors to the republic.

Natural Citizen
05-04-2013, 01:24 PM
Many of the people who enforce the law

Heh. Same dolts who agree that you can't have cameras with detachable lenses down in Kentucky (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?412858-Kentucky-Derby-Bans-All-Interchangeable-Lens-Cameras-for-‘Security-Purposes’&highlight=kentucky+derby)? I thought science belonged to everyone. Not just tyrants who cater to the lobby.

No "printers" Bill of Rights, Huh? :rolleyes:

jmdrake
05-04-2013, 01:52 PM
lol, bring it on, Congress critters. These guns are going to be absolutely ubiquitous in the ensuing years, and there's very little they can do about it.

It will be like child porn. Almost impossible to stop, but they'll through the book at whoever they catch.