TechCrunch - Is Printing A Gun The Same As Buying A Gun?

[jeffmem]

Interesting article

Is Printing A Gun The Same As Buying A Gun? | TechCrunch

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

I would say.. unless you can hold it in your hands, use it and it is 3D.. its not a part .. its a picture....

Am I understanding this right?

[Guest nicemac]

I would say.. unless you can hold it in your hands, use it and it is 3D.. its not a part .. its a picture....

Am I understanding this right?

No, you are not understanding it right. 3D printing is very real and so are the parts that are "printed."

3D printing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[monkeylizard]

Why wouldn't this fall under the category of manufacturing firearms and have the same laws applied? Why would it matter if the lower is 3D printed in plastic vs. milled from aluminum? It's still the lower. It's still the regulated part.

3D printing is a really cool process. I hadn't thought of using one to make gun parts with it. I wonder how the costs compare on that AR magazine. I mean, if you already had access to a machine, would the materials cost be lower on a 3D printer than in regular injection molding like P-MAGs? I'd also like to know how durable their mag is off the 3D printer.

Edited September 22, 2011 by monkeylizard

[Guest Lester Weevils]

[Guest nicemac]

Why wouldn't this fall under the category of manufacturing firearms and have the same laws applied? Why would it matter if the lower is 3D printed in plastic vs. milled from aluminum? It's still the lower. It's still the regulated part.

It would.

[Capbyrd]

As long as the person has their own 3d printer and is making this for personal use, there is no law broken. Its no different than an 80 percent receiver build.

The only thing that Thingiverse is providing is plans.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

As far as the law goes, does the method of manufacture matter?

If an unlicensed home hobbyist happened to be a good enough machinist to make a perfect 1911 from scratch, precisely fabricating every part in his basement workshop out of raw steel, plastic and aluminum-- Then wouldn't he have to do some kind of legal procedure and perform a background check on himself before he would stay out of potential trouble with the ATF or other authorities if "caught" with the home-made gun? A well-heeled home hobbyist with cnc gear ought to have better odds of making a nice gun in the basement now compared to the past?

I guess the smart thing to do would be to get some kind of ffl before building a gun? But would there be a defined way for a non-ffl to "make legal" a home made gun? I guess it wouldn't be as simple as taking the shiny-new gun down to the local gun shop and get them to do a background check and transfer your gun to yourself?

[LagerHead]

If it's legal for you to own it, I don't see a problem printing it.

[Capbyrd]

As far as the law goes, does the method of manufacture matter?

If an unlicensed home hobbyist happened to be a good enough machinist to make a perfect 1911 from scratch, precisely fabricating every part in his basement workshop out of raw steel, plastic and aluminum-- Then wouldn't he have to do some kind of legal procedure and perform a background check on himself before he would stay out of potential trouble with the ATF or other authorities if "caught" with the home-made gun? A well-heeled home hobbyist with cnc gear ought to have better odds of making a nice gun in the basement now compared to the past?

I guess the smart thing to do would be to get some kind of ffl before building a gun? But would there be a defined way for a non-ffl to "make legal" a home made gun? I guess it wouldn't be as simple as taking the shiny-new gun down to the local gun shop and get them to do a background check and transfer your gun to yourself?

If you manufacture a gun for yourself, then there is no process involved. You can make your own firearms as long as you follow the guidelines from the ATF. You will have to etch your name and a serial number into it but thats it. No other licenses or anything.

[monkeylizard]

But you can't ever sell it, right?

[Capbyrd]

You can. But you can't make it solely for the purpose of resale.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

If you manufacture a gun for yourself, then there is no process involved. You can make your own firearms as long as you follow the guidelines from the ATF. You will have to etch your name and a serial number into it but thats it. No other licenses or anything.

Thanks Capbyrd

Would have thought that the law would have mechanisms for authorities to harrass an ordinary person for making a gun. But if not then thats great! Ferinstance the law would give the average guy some grief for making his own moonshine.

It was amusing to google "Is it legal".

Is it legal to...

-- Own a Hedgehog in Tennessee?

-- Eat your cat?

-- Pay a bill in pennies?

-- Take pictures of farms?

-- Use Firesheep at Starbucks?

-- Lie in negotiations?

-- Send cash via U.S. Mail?

-- Melt U.S. coins?

-- Track Cheating Spouses?

-- Invest in a stranger's life insurance?

-- Dissolve corpses?

-- Sterilize addicts?

-- Carry a sword for self-defense?

-- Download classified documents released by wikileaks?

-- Ride in the back of a pickup?