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I understand the intent, but feel that there are so many other loopholes that put much worse weapons on the street than a printer. Besides, my prints can barely sustain normal use, much less a bullet being fired from them. I would think that this is more of a risk to the person holding the gun than who it's pointing at.

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[-] Wogi@lemmy.world 120 points 1 year ago

There's a community that builds 3d printed guns, and those don't last very long either. They're not printing barrels, they're just printing the trigger housing and grip. They go out and buy the dangerous bits.

This is all a bit pointless.

Even more pointless when you consider that once you have a 3d printer, you can make a lot of the components for a second 3d printer, and go out and buy the other parts, without ever buying a 3d printer. Now you have two ghost gun machines!! Oh the horror.

[-] JoShmoe@ani.social 26 points 1 year ago

This is the reason why I need education. CNc machines are the only tools you need. Fast food is probably just CNC assembled.

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[-] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Not to mention the ammo. 3d printed guns are useless without real ammo.

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[-] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 year ago

Tbh, you print em right they'll last a good 2k rnds and you can rifle the barrel with ECM at home these days, they'd get "the job" done, save an extended firefight, and then "NY reload."

That said I agree this is pointless.

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[-] superb@lemmy.blahaj.zone 72 points 1 year ago

Do I need a background check to buy a CNC? Or a lathe?

[-] YourAvgDuckHead@discuss.tchncs.de 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I mean, kind of, yes. CNCs have been one of the big items for export controls. Especially if they can be used to build weapons, parts for nuclear subs, etc.

Generally speaking, lathes and milling machines must be licensed for export if their accuracy exceeds six microns. Grinding machines are controlled at four microns. The Wassenaar Arrangement controls all machine tools capable of simultaneous, five-axis motion, regardless of machining accuracy.

Source

[-] FireTower@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In the US you don't need a license to purchase a CNC. Even items with export restrictions like night vision goggles (Under ITAR) can be bought by anyone and shipped to your door. The export controls would only come into effect upon you exporting them.

[-] Amaltheamannen@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 year ago

Besides not needing a license for export controlled items within the country, you don't need a 6 micron precision lathe

[-] oldGregg@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago

Until you want to replicate your dick

[-] cryptiod137@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Just export controls though?

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[-] krolden@lemmy.ml 62 points 1 year ago

Will they require a background check for CNC machines and lathes as well?

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 32 points 1 year ago

They're eventually just going to demand you're under AI monitored video surveillance at all times, even while bathing.

[-] Diplomjodler@feddit.de 11 points 1 year ago

Oh yes, AI Daddy, surveil me harder!

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[-] BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 year ago

Routers and lathes, both CNC and manual ... and calipers! The name sounds like something to do with bullets and they look like tiny machine guns.

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[-] Gigan@lemmy.world 58 points 1 year ago

Is this a real problem? How many crimes are being committed with 3D printed guns?

[-] SupraMario@lemmy.world 53 points 1 year ago

It's a rounding error... basically just politicians virtue signalling that they're doing something.

[-] MajesticSloth@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

I'm reminded of Leland Yee. California politician who was in favor of gun control all while doing gun running stuff himself. Guess he felt gun control was good for business.

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[-] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 year ago

No, but often gun control is an "if it stops even one" type of thing. Most of it is predicated on mass shootings which are .001% of gun violence in an attempt to ban the gun that kills <500 out of 60,000 people a year.

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[-] BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works 54 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In other news: virtue signaling politicians are considering banning [scary items that their core voters know nothing about] in order to appear tough on crime, while avoiding doing the logical things experts recommend, because that would look bad in the eyes of the voters. Instead the only consequence is extending the stigma related to excons resulting in greater recidivism

Googling 3d printed gun homicide returns a story from Rhode Island in 2020 (where the police can't figure out if the gun was actually printed), an attempted murder in Reykjavík in 2022, and this story from 2022 that claims a total of 44 arrests were made related to 3d printed guns... world wide https://3dprint.com/291684/3d-printed-gun-arrests-tripled-in-less-than-two-years-3dprint-com-investigates/amp/

In contrast there were 48117 firearms related deaths in the US during the same period.

Maybe statistics and proportions should be a core part of math from an early age?

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[-] Oha@lemmy.ohaa.xyz 51 points 1 year ago

What the fuck? You dont even need that for buying a fucking knife

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[-] moody 49 points 1 year ago

Zip guns have existed for a long, long time, but nobody's going to legislate serious controls for buying building supplies. I could walk into any hardware store and come out with the materials to build a gun that fires real bullets.

[-] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Don’t you just need a pipe of the right size capped at one end, and a nail?

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[-] HurlingDurling@lemm.ee 37 points 1 year ago

Hey congress, so uhhh... you can 3d print a 3d printer

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 45 points 1 year ago

Or just buy parts. What are they gonna do? Regulate stepper motors and heater cartridges, and generic microcontrollers?

The cat is already out the bag.

[-] Stephen304@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 year ago

That's hilarious, assuming they only regulate prebuilts or full kits, all you'd need to do is something like add everything from a voron parts list to your cart to get around it. I wonder if sellers would also be able to offer partial kits to bypass it too (like offering a frame kit, x axis kit, extruder kit, etc and you just add all to cart)

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[-] deania@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago

By that logic, they should ban water pipes to stop people from making water pipe shotguns

[-] seathru@lemm.ee 21 points 1 year ago

Must pass a background check before entering Home Depot.

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[-] buzz86us@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago

You wouldn't download a gun

[-] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 1 year ago

I don’t have a use for one. A car though? I’d download the fuck out of a car.

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[-] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 25 points 1 year ago

And if I download a parts list, buy the components, and make the printer myself I guess I can just cruise new york "printing guns" for people without any hassle from the man.

Printing ghost guns, so far, is just a boogyman politicians trot out when one of their corporate sponsors thinks one of their revenue streams might be threatened by DIYers.

[-] Anonymouse@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

I agree that this is a boogeyman law.

I don't understand the threat to revenue streams. From gun manufacturers? Would anybody who is allowed to purchase a gun bother with a 3D printed one other than for the novelty of it?

My biggest gripe is that I feel that politicians usually don't get involved in creating laws until way late. Think laws around the regulation of AI or cloning or genetically modifying humans. Is there a credible threat related to printed weaponry? I seriously doubt it.

I saw something similar a few weeks ago on the national news to allow local police to shoot drones around regulated airspaces. In this case it's a football game. The stadium security said that a drone flew in and distributed pamphlets but could have easily carried in a bomb. Again, this is a theoretical threat, but they're more likely concerned about illegal filming of a sporting event.

[-] aBundleOfFerrets@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 year ago

3d printed guns are an excellent boogey man for manufacturers of not-gun things that 3d printers can make much better than guns.

[-] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 1 year ago

I don’t understand the threat to revenue streams. From gun manufacturers

It doesn't have to be from gun manufacturers. Any manufacturer can go to the politician they own and say "People are making open source versions of our highest profit margin widget, find a way to make it stop." Then politician says, "Well, New Yorkers want more gun laws, we can abuse that..."

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[-] BuboScandiacus@mander.xyz 24 points 1 year ago

You can make a gun with anything

[-] nyan@lemmy.cafe 18 points 1 year ago

Well, not anything (if you actually think that's possible, then I have a challenge for you: make a functioning gun out of cheese), but an average hardware store should have everything you need to produce something capable of firing a shot.

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[-] snekerpimp@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago

This isn’t even low hanging fruit. This is fruit that’s been on the ground rotting for a few months that no one is going to pick up and eat anyway. Let’s throw ineffective solutions at the problem and when they fail go, “weeeeell, since you can buy a 3d printer and a gun online, let’s just do background checks for internet access”

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[-] TooLameForLemmy@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Holy shit, it would be so funny if this started an 80% 3D printer market.

[-] massacre@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

No need. You can buy ALL of the parts off the shelf for a 3D printer and assemble it yourself. None are regulated (Aluminum rails, motors, arduino controllers, LCD panels, Power supplies, heating elements, thermistors, wiring). Strictly speaking there's nothing about a non-resin 3d Printer you can't procure and build yourself. And you can even 3d Print the housings to make it look nice once you've assembled it. Oh... and the designs and parts are largely open source.

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[-] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Whats next? Criminal background check to buy cutlery for your kitchen?

[-] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 year ago

Anything to regulate and restrict the people/end users but not address any real problems in society.

Go after the gun companies, gun lobbies, NRA? No, never. Address housing, income, and educational inequality? That sounds complicated, tough, and expensive.

This has similar vibes to shaming/regulating people for using too much water in their showers and for washing their cars, but when a multi-billion dollar oil company spills millions of gallons of crude into the sea causing years of environmental damage due to negligence, fine them a few million dollars and tell them they've been very naughty...

So tired of politicians being in the pocket of Capitalist scumbags.

[-] TWeaK@lemm.ee 17 points 1 year ago

You know what would be even more effective than regulating 3D printers like this? Regulating all guns better.

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[-] histic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 year ago

I personally have a 3d printed gun that I've put a few hundred rounds though and is still holding up just fine 3d printing is plenty strong enough

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[-] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 year ago

You'd be surprised what a hoffman lower or FGC9_2.0 can take.

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this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2023
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