3D-Printed Gun May Be Unveiled Soon

colinneagle writes "A 3D-printed gun capable of firing multiple rounds may be unveiled soon. Cody Wilson, the 25-year-old founder and director of nonprofit organization Defense Distributed, recently told Mashable that the end product of Wiki Weapon, the initiative to create an operational 3D-printed gun, may soon be ready to unveil to the public. In a March interview with CNN, Wilson said he hoped to have a printable gun ready by the end of April, so his most recent comments suggest that he may fulfill that promise. While Wilson was sparse with details, he did tell Mashable that the prototype would be a handgun consisting of 12 parts made out of ABS+ thermoplastic, which is known for its durability and is commonly used in industrial settings. The firing pin would be the only steel component of the 3D-printed gun, which will be able to withstand a few shots before melting or breaking. Wilson reportedly anticipates making an official announcement soon."

Re:Barrel and slide/bolt too?

[balsy2001]

The more interesting part of this development is the possibility to make receivers on your printer. For example, the only federally controlled part on an AR-15 is the lower receiver. Every other part can be bought with no paper work (e.g., barrels, triggers, upper receivers, stocks, optics,...). There are already production models that use polymers. Factories that do this type of stuff require an FFL (federal firearms license) for manufacture of weapons. If you can do it in your house all the rules are out the door (legally you are also supposed to have the FFL, but...). You can make the receivers and buy the rest of the parts with cash for a fully untraceable gun. Another interesting point is that there are only very small difference between fully automatic versions and semi-automatic versions of the AR-15, if you can make the receiver at your house you could make a full auto version.

Re:Supply and demand.

[zbobet2012]

In crimes of passion almost any weapon will do. A gun being present generally only changes the cause of death. This is evidenced by the fact that in Britain and Australia gun bans [wikipedia.org] have had no effect on either suicide or homicide rates when isolated against already prevailing national crime rates and trends. You are also incorrect about the nature of homicide in the US. 70-85% of those murdered the US every year have a criminal record. Most major cities track close to 80% of there homicides resulting from gang violence.
I should be clear, I am not a "gun rights" advocate, but from an economics perspective it is rather obvious that murder is price inelastic. The vast majority of murders are infact crime related. The remander are largely crimes of passion for which any serviceable weapon can and will do (suicide falls under this as well).

It's the prefect gun.

[Sqr(twg)]

It can only fire "a few shots" before needing repair, and the muzzle velocity is probably low enough that even those are unlikely to be deadly. If a nutcase in my neighborhood was getting a gun, I'd want him to get this one.

Stricter control on real guns, and 3D-printing for the masses seem to be a good way forward.

Re:Teh hell

[Anonymous Coward]

I would rather face off against a guy with a melee weapon than a guy with a gun, because then at least I stand a chance to retaliate (successful or not), simply because it's somewhat harder to dodge/parry a bullet than a melee weapon.

Also, robberies generally rely on surprise, and no robber will allow you to pull your own weapon, so carrying any kind of weapon for self defence is pointless once the robbery is taking place.

You might want to read up on and think about the implications of the Tueller Drill [wikipedia.org]. Also, I know of a few instances where robberies where successfully warded off with both handguns and knifes (used in cutting motion rather than stabbing). I personally have been involved in a home invasion (as the intended victim, not the perp, obviously) where a handgun that was kept with me in bed, within reach while sleeping, was very welcome and not at all pointless. (Except for the surprisors getting a nasty surprise themselves, no perpetrators where harmed during the making of that episode. Sadly. To this day, no arrests either.)

Basically, your views as expressed above are biased by your theories and not borne out in practice.

Re:Barrel and slide/bolt too?

[stenvar]

Obama was a closet conservative and we all got fooled.

Obama isn't a "closet conservative" either; he is simply politically and economically inept. I think the only question left for historians is whether he is actually worse than Bush; he's certainly trying to be.