“This is how it usually works, though. Americans create technology much faster than lawmakers can regulate it. That can be a positive thing; in this case, however, it’s a dangerous one. As Cody Wilson said when he created the first 3D-printed gun, ‘I recognize that this tool might be used to harm people—It’s a gun.’ And guns are scary for that very specific reason, especially when they’re cheap and easy to make.” – Adam Clark Estes in 3D-Printed Guns Are Only Getting Better, and Scarier [at gizmodo.com]
Two pieces of pipe and a nail. ’nuff said.
lol I once showed the homemade sten and shovel AK videos to a grabber and she wondered out loud what she could ban to prevent criminals from doing that. After pipes, shovels and trashcans were ruled out she settled on simply banning the videos. “Sooooooo… the first amendment?”
Yeah, she was livid…
It always goes back to the Pol Pot solution of rounding up anyone with the knowledge or ability and filling pits with their bodies. Ivory Tower lefties always stop short of admitting this truth for they’d be the first ones rounded up for the general welfare.
You can read? You’re dangerous to society!
Fahrenheit 451!
Don’t forget people with glasses.
(Yes, the Khmer Rouge actually rounded up and executed people with glasses).
You piqued my interested, so I googled shovel AK. Needless to say, that’s impressive.
“so I googled shovel AK”
That was time well spent. I actually feel quite a bit better about the world now. I never would have guessed reading an article by some dweeb pissing his pants over nothing would lead to so much useful information.
The shovel AK is downright cool!
Might want to keep that quiet, they’ll go after the ammunition if they knew how easy it is to make a homemade gun. At least until they start making 3D printed primers.
Save your matches! Look up “improvised ammunition” on youtube. Good stuff. You need fired cases with old primers and matches.
The technology in question was created what, about a thousand years ago? And our wonderful legislators still haven’t figured out how to regulate it? Darn.
Guns were made centuries ago in thatch-roofed mud hovels, and some are made in caves even today. Somehow it seems that using a 3D printer is cheating.
Americans create lawmakers much faster than technology can regulate it.
There fixed it for you Adam…we know what you meant to say,
Every criminal I know diligently and rather respectfully obeys all laws and regulations. Oh wait…
We have a 3-D printer at work. Unfortunately, it uses wax as the medium. Bummer.
If you have metal casting knowledge its still useful. Print off wax duplicate of the part then use it for lost-wax casting. Much more durable than plastic, and it will still piss off a hipster at gawker
Who’s going to cast that for you? There is no foundry that will cast it for you. I wouldn’t. Especially after yesterdays ATF article.
You’ll have to figure out shrinkage for whatever metal you choose to cast in, otherwise none of your pins will line up, magazines won’t fit, etc.
Will you be investing $10,000+ on your own casting equipment? Space for it? Electrical upgrades? Ventilation? Etc.
An 80% receiver is much less trouble.
Keep in mind that a lot of it depends on the gun your making. Back in the day when almost every town had a gun maker, most parts where made buy sand or wax casting, lathed on foot powered machines and them hand fitted. Really the process didn’t change much till about 100 years ago. So an homemade AR would be problematic, however a rolling block action single shot is a whole other ball game. And still more complex arms could be built buy a competent craftsmen.
@ Texas Anomaly
Good luck casting steel in your garage. Cast iron? Lol.
Non-ferrous is doable. For 99.99% of people an 80% receiver is the easiest way to go.
Building a gun with tubing (Sten) is not too hard.
Casting, forging, milling, not too easy for the average person.
Why cast anything? Bar stock, plate steel and a few machined metal parts can get you a fully functional sub gun, if you’re willing to break the law. http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/04/04/australian-motorcycle-gang-diy-firearms-surface/
If not, you can still build a perfectly legal rifle or pistol using old fashioned manufacturing techniques.
The kerfuffle over 3D plastic printed guns is mostly because the ignorant are suddenly aware that making a working firearm does not require some sort of arcane lore or kraut space magic.
depending on what kind of wax it is you could still 3D print what you needed then put it in a mold and cast it.
Estes’ article is a great example of true ignorance. No one who understands the basics of gun making could hold his opinion that 3D printers pose some kind of new threat.
The best proof is this statement: “As we all now know, 3D printing a gun that fires bullets requires almost no skills at all. Cody Wilson, the law student who gained fame for creating the first fully 3D-printed gun, didn’t even know how to operate a 3D printer when he set out to make a gun. It took him less than a year to design and print his first gun, ‘The Liberator.'”
Wilson could have made a better gun than The Liberator in a week or less with materials he got at a hardware store. Josh the Viking said this better than I in the first comment.
Of course, the real dangers are ignorance and fear, not 3D printers or guns.
Guns are only dangerous to those who want to in any way restrict the sacred civil liberties of heir fellow citizens.
It is clear that Adam Clark, in spite of any and all claims from him or anyone else to contrary, is one of those oppressors.
How are 3-D printed guns any scarier than steel or aluminum guns? I mean, really; I can walk to Wal-Mart and buy a gun. Who cares if one can be printed? Maybe in the countries where only the special few are supposed to have access to firearms, I can see how this could be a disruptive product. But here in America? C’mon. Xanax time indeed.
Time for someone to switch to depends if he keeps soiling himself over printed plastic.
Sure, regulate guns…
Not games that glorify violence and teach our children that shooting somebody is a viable option.
Not Music, TV shows, or movies that do the same.
Not toxic politics and politicians that do nothing but long term harm to the country.
Lets develop all we can of all that.. then act all surprised and blame the weapon when somebody embodies the lifestyle.
Regulating video games or any other violent media might as well be throwing out the 1st Amendment… However, I feel that the blame for the current state of our culture is more on the parents who let their children be raised by television/videogames/the internet… Also, while I don’t like glorifying violence, and I don’t think EVERY problem justifies violence, I am not going to deny that some problems can only be solved violently (Unless you think we should negotiating with terrorists)
Talk about gettin’ twitterpaated…