I disagree with the premise that gun control has been shot down because of this new technology applied to make improvised firearms. First of all, these things are going to be far less effective, durability, reliability and range wise than factory firearms. Second, laws are about scaring transgressors into not doing something with the threat of state violence against them, not making some action a complete impossibility.
This is technically true, but doesn't accurately represent the state of 3d printed firearms.
Durability - a 3d printed/hybrid firearm isn't going to last as long as one made by Ruger and co. However, the difference is between components lasting thousands of rounds vs tens of thousands of rounds - meaningful, but we're not talking "two shots then the barrel melts."
As far as range goes, that has far less to do with whether or not the components in question were homemade, and more to do with physics - namely, barrel length, the caliber of bullet you're firing, and how much powder is being used. Longer barrel = more complete burn of the powder = higher projectile velocity. The aerodynamics of projectiles is rather complex, but you can rule of thumb it as "heavier projectiles are more accurate, lighter projectiles go farther, faster." This is a long way of saying, as long as the barrel meets a certain threshold of quality (which, homemade firearms have met), it's not going to matter unless you're shooting out past 200 yards. Furthermore, barrels are (in the US anyway) cheap, plentiful, and entirely unregulated.
I agree that barrels are available in the US but that isn't generally true worldwide. I admit that I don't know much about homemade barrels but my understanding is that for a long rifle barrel (needed for >200 yard shooting) is going to require some pretty specialized and expensive equipment, and I would be very surprised if they could approach the accuracy of even a cheap, non-accurized factory chamber/barrel, but I'll look into it more to satisfy my curiosity.
Factory ammunition in common calibers like 9mm and 5.56 is hard to find now at least in the US.
US states with strong gun control laws now focus on ammunition sales, requiring identification and criminal background checks, and creating law enforcement databases of ammunition buyers and sellers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TMrunbZLJw
Here's another one on 1920/30s Chinese 'mystery' guns:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HNaB7l2GQk
His videos on Khyber Pass firearms are also fascinating.
Ian's channel is some amazing stuff for anyone with passing interest in firearms, and it's largely free of politics. Well, as much as it can be.
The Second Amendment is (at least partially) about scaring the state into not doing something with the threat of popular violence against them.
"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
One of the early arguments about whether the Bill of Rights should exist was that special-casing some rights would narrow the scope of "rights that exist" to just those explicitly listed; the compromise was the Ninth Amendment.
But guns are scary.
I think pro gun advocates need to distance themselves from irresponsible gun owners and the NRA. It doesn't help your cause. Promoting responsible gun legislation without spouting "they're going to take our guns over my dead body" just makes you sound like a nut. We also need to address the vastly different circumstances the city living has compared to rural in terms of gun ownership. As well as stop burying the conversation when it comes to mass shootings, they happen way to often and absolutely would not happen if gun control was stricter, the entire world is evidence of this. Making guns harder to acquire makes them less likely, but only if that applies to an entire geographic region. If DC makes guns really hard to get, but Virginia makes them super easy, then it doesn't matter at all.
I just don't have much hope for anything bipartisan to actually work. Things are too split, and there's very little upside for people to change sides.
Also, good luck with actually exercising your right to "keep and bear" arms when the Interstate commerce clause is the preferred mode of shadow firearm regulation, so production of regulated parts can get you into hot water if someone doesn't like you enough. Enjoy carefully planning every travel arrrangement with having the possession of your firearm in mind, so you know the right song and dance to do on crossing State/jurisdictional boundaries, and double check with any NFA items and whether you need to engage with an FFL before crossing State lines. Also God help you if they really don't like you and you have the means and knowledge to manufacture an automatic firearm or other NFA item. In today's world, I'm not entirely sure they wouldn't try to spin it as constructive possession. Furthermore, if you machine or manufacture related components, enjoy your Special Occupational Tax, and if you're a Federal Firearm License holder, surrender of your 4th Amendment rights as a condition of doing business, and opening yourself to at will audit by the government.
Yeah, yeah, I get it. "Just don't do anything illegal and you'll be fine." That's cute and all, but I've been trying to run down and list everything I have to technically pay attention to and make sure to never slip up on as a pre-condition of owning something, and to be honest, cannot justify the risk of ownership given most of the penalties involved, because I'm horrible about keeping up with the bureaucracy. It seems to me to be less a means to get anything meaningful done, and just something to increase the odds you can throw the entire book at someone if they do do something.
So while technically the argument can be made you face no infringement to keeping and bearing of arms, I don't buy that that assertion holds water. When you create a secondary class of citizen that has to report every movement to the government just to keep their personal property with them, that's the very definition of infringement. Same thing is relevant to the closing of the Machine gun registry via the restriction of funding applied to maintinging the bloody thing since 1986.
So to comply with the law one must change out a certain percentage of the gun with US made parts to not violate the law.
https://www.ficarettalegal.com/domestic-assembly-of-nonsport....
― Chris Rock
People do it in their basement as a hobby.
This may mean that gun control simply fails in non-authoritarian countries, and they either go authoritarian or increasing live without effective controls on guns. As a gun culture the U.S. may be better prepared for this transition.
Yes! This isn't limited to gun control either. It's a politico-technological arms race.
People develop technology that subverts the government. New laws are eventually created, allowing the government to adapt to the new technology. With each cycle, the government must become increasingly tyrannical and totalitarian in order to maintain its own power over the governed population. We'll end up with either an uncontrollable population or an absolute state.
Are people worried about un-riffled longarms though?
Unless you have a way to rifle the inside of a pipe, that won't really be an issue. You'll just be making inaccurate muskets.
The important item isn't the 3d printer. Its the CNC Lathe.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/08/13/make-a-factor...
But just to state the obvious, there's nothing in the constitution that talks about an inherent right to control over your phone, but there is absolutely an amendment that says "a well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" (and no, "well-regulated" does not mean the modern definition of "regulation")
According to the analogy, Apple should have less control over our phones.
Which is true.
As for chemical weapons, people accidentally create chlorine gas all of the time. Aside from that, the reason you don't see more of this is because the really potent nerve agents and useful explosives (smokeless powders and beyond) have complex reactions that require trained chemists to produce.
It's a good thing most people aren't motivated to do that, but Aum Shinrikyo happened in our lifetimes.
I personally have the know how to create several things that are genuinely dangerous (like an EPFCG...I even have a copy of the 70s-era paper from LANL), but absolutely zero motivation to do so. It's not regulation that's stopping me.
You can build lasers that can blind people with the laser diode from your blu-ray player and people do it for fun. Nothing illegal about it here either and I've built a few.
[1]:https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/how-to-build-a... [2]:https://www.businessinsider.com/12-year-old-builds-nuclear-r... [3]:https://www.instructables.com/Build-A-Fusion-Reactor/ [4]:https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a30917842/homemade-... [5]:https://www.foxnews.com/science/teen-builds-working-nuclear-... [6]:https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/07/150726-nucle...
Regulation really hasn't stopped any government from manufacturing nuclear weapons. Proliferation treaties have largely been a failure as you can see evidence of in recent years. The actual _use_ of nuclear weapons is something else and has nothing to do with regulation. The use of nuclear and chemical weapons doesn't support any governments war objectives. It turns out you don't actually win if everyone in the world simultaneously hates you, won't trade with you and will sanction you into oblivion. It turns out that the ability to import and export goods is worth more than the dead bodies of your enemies.
> Consultant in Johannesburg, South Africa
So probably closer to something that relates to him directly than posting because of the headline.
Desktop Firearms: Emergent Small Arms Craft Production Technologies -
http://armamentresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ARES-...
I’ve printed AR lowers on an Anycubic i3 Mega that I bought for $100 on Facebook. My current printer was $500, but doesn’t bring any more capability.
