3D-printed guns are out there. Sadly, one of them was used in the terrible mass murder which was committed at the Pulse nightclub in Florida. 3D printers are now able to create all manner of components, for guns, autos, and a range of other items.
In terms of what they can do, 3D guns are just like other guns. They may be used to protect people or to hurt them. What’s certain is that more and more of these types of firearms will be made in the future. One day, they may be the only type of gun available in the marketplace.
Technology keeps moving forward and, in general, experts believe that 3D printing is the key to reducing the cost of design and manufacture in the future. This is why many companies are beginning to experiment with 3D printing processes, for guns and a host of other things…
Basic Facts About 3D Guns
There are a lot of 3D-printed gun fans out there who believe that 3D technology will allow them to download or copy a deadly firearm in the foreseeable future, the same way that Internet “pirates” download episodes of their favorite TV shows. However, at present, there are serious ramifications to printing 3D guns at home. One Japanese male was recently arrested for doing just that. Police found a stash of 3D guns at his home, which they believe he printed himself.
One of the guns seized from him was a revolver that can hold six bullets of .38 caliber. The Japanese man, who lives in Kawasaki and is named Yoshitomo Imura, crafts 3D guns from printed parts, along with some pins made from metal and a few rubber bands and screws.
He tests his designs with blanks. He believes that people should have the freedom to print these weapons at home. Law enforcement in Japan strongly disagrees.
With it, it is possible to print other things better
Legal issues related to 3D guns are hotly debated. 3D guns which are printed from private residences are becoming increasingly sophisticated and this spells danger to many people, including some lawmakers.
In America, this perceived danger is causing legislators to take a closer look at 3D technology for gun-making and its myriad legal ramifications. For example, just last year, Congress attempted to restrict the printing of these weapons, under a proposed amendment to the Undetectable Firearms Act. In the age of terrorist attacks and mass shootings, people are right to be concerned. It’s best if laws do address the issue of 3D guns.
Congress failed to amend the Act. This means that laws for printing these weapons are currently quite murky. A lot of journalists who try to interview those who make 3D guns at home have trouble finding people who will participate in their interviews. At the least, their sources prefer to remain anonymous…
How Are 3D Guns Made
3D printing is frequently carried out via a process known as Fused Deposition Modeling, which is called FDM for short. With this process, a digital file known as a three-D model will be “sliced” into many thin layers, each of which will typically measure only a millimeter in width.
The 3D printer will begin to precisely replicate all of these slices, one by one, on a bed for printing. The slices will be crafted of heated, extruded plastic threads. These are thermoplastics and each layer will lie on top of the next until the design begins to take on shape and form. When printing is completed, a perfect copy of the digital file will be created in three dimensions.
Usually, the process takes quite a while to complete. Several hours of printing time will be needed to create all of the slices.
This type of technology is so advanced as to seem magical.
3D printers are now available to private citizens. There are 3D printers for home usage for sale at the world’s largest online retailer and tons of other retailers. While most of these printers don’t have the technical features to create whole guns from digital files, some of them may be used to do this or be modified to handle these types of projects.
In some cases, a person who isn’t legally able to buy a firearm may decide to purchase a 3D printer and take matters into his or her hands. This is worrisome. Since no one else knows that the 3D gun is being printed from home and no one knows how the person making it plans to use it, it’s out of the government system. There is no way to track the 3D gun or who it belongs to.
In the future, it’s safe to say that laws that govern the printing of 3D guns will become clearer. This will be a good thing, as people need to know whether they can legally create firearms at home, from 3D printers.
Do These Guns Work?
Yes, these guns do work when they come from digital files which are well-designed. The quality of the 3D model which is used to create the 3D gun, as well as the quality of its construction (3D structures are sometimes flawed due to problems during the printing process) will play a big role in how well these ultra-modern guns function in the real world.
Would you buy one of these guns? Would you make one yourself?
It’s logical to assume that the world’s biggest gun manufacturers are embracing 3D printing technology, even if their PR people aren’t disclosing information about it at present. It’s a technology that is too big to ignore.
Very likely that you’ll be able to buy a 3D-printed gun from a prominent manufacturer in the future, even if you need to wait for a while. When it comes to printing your own, you’ll be entering a risky legal area.
Now that you have the inside scoop on 3D-printed guns, you’ve got a deeper understanding of these futuristic firearms.
