Posted on 06/19/2019 12:08:46 PM PDT by Black_Rifle_Gunsmith
(I posted this topic yesterday and we had started a good discussion, though it was removed because the headline was incorrect. It incorrectly read the senate passed a bill banning 3D-printed guns, but it did not yet. I'd like to pick this discussion up again:)
With the election cycle heating up, some Democratic hopefuls are beginning to propose more gun control legislation. U.S. Senator Time Kaine (D-VA) recently called on the Senate and Virginia's own Assembly to outlaw the distribution of instructions for 3D-printing firearms. This call is likely in direct response to the Trump administration's refusal to block such plans from being distributed. I believe if the Administration were to cooperate, it would set a potentially dangerous precedent for the First Amendment, considering only mere words and text are being disseminated in such plans.
3D-printed guns are just one way to build a firearm without going through any government agency. The ATF has long held that it's legal to build a gun at home with no Federal Firearms License (FFL) required, if the gun is for personal use only. A home-built gun for this purpose doesn't require a serial number in most states. Most gun enthusiasts exercise this right by building AR-15s and tactical rifles using receiver blanks (officially called an 80 percent lower).
Now that the practice has become relatively popular, more gun control legislation is on the table. Bill H. R. 7115 would specifically outlaw "certain firearm receiver castings or blanks, assault weapons part kits, and machinegun parts kits." It also bans the marketing and advertising of such kits.
While none of this legislation has passed at the Federal level, New York has already passed a 3D-printed gun bill. New york's legislation specifically targets any firearm that is "undetectable" by an X-ray machine, like a plastic or polymer gun that was 3D-printed. New York's broad definition of an "undetectable gun" could also outlaw any other gun-making kit that uses polymer parts.
What do you guys think about all this? Assault weapon bans have proven ineffective, so it would appear politicians and gun control advocates are targeting any facet of the Second Amendment they can. Besides banning actual firearms, do you think specifically banning 3D-printed gun plans could set a precedent for the First Amendment? I imagine in a political battle, a compromised piece of legislation could be passed that does just this.
I noticed in recent reading that to go in for a top-flight lower receiver drilling jig and router and bits would come in at around $350, not including the receiver or anything else. Thus I decided to not go that path as the resulting firearm would cost way more than a fully manufactured commercial one. Still thinking about doing it with a more economical jig and without the router.
Gonna be a b*tch gettin’ that much toothpaste back in the tube.
The left controls the language. “Ghost guns”??? Can they be any more ridiculous? What’s next, “Vampire Guns”? “Zombie Guns”?
block the distribution of computer programs that make printed guns on a 3D printer? You’re years too late for that for one thing. For another it never would have worked anyway. The instant you announce that it will be pirated and downloaded more than ever.
Actually, politicians want to ban anything and everything that challenges their maniacal death grip on authority.
It’s a relatively common form of mental illness world-wide.
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