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Gunsmith Uses 3D Printer To Make A Rifle

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Re: Gunsmith Uses 3D Printer To Make A Rifle

#61

Post by drhayes9 »

ericmoritz wrote: post #41
ef4 wrote: post #26

Any competent machinist can make functional semiautomatic weapons. This is just the next step in making it even easier. If the United States ever got serious about banning firearms, a massive homebrew industry would grow up overnight. Gunpowder is not fundamentally harder to make than methamphetamine. People who quite rightly see our drug laws as pointless and ineffective somehow often miss that a gun ban would be no…

Not only is prohibition pointless; the actual harm caused by guns is relatively low compared to other causes. More people are harmed by cars than handguns.

True, but cars are good for something other than killing things.

See my other, longer comment here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4298113

Re: Gunsmith Uses 3D Printer To Make A Rifle

#62

Post by WiseWeasel »

mc32 wrote: post #49
ericmoritz wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not only is prohibition pointless; the actual harm caused by guns is relatively low compared to other causes. More people are harmed by cars than handguns.

But people need to get to places. People don't need guns for daily survival. Japan annually sees double digit gun-deaths. In the US we see triple digit accidental gun deaths.

There is still a significant number of people in the US who hunt for subsistence, or to supplement their diet. If you live in rural Alaska, you might rely on your gun for daily survival in a very real and immediate sense. Some cynics might say the same for Compton or Detroit.

Re: Gunsmith Uses 3D Printer To Make A Rifle

#63

Post by mgarfias »

blangblang wrote: post #37
kwantam wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The part that's 3d printed is the lower receiver. In an AR-15 style design, the lower receiver doesn't handle any pressure at all, it just houses the magazine and hammer/trigger/sear/safety, and connects to the upper receiver/barrel assembly and the buttstock/buffer tube assembly. People have made lower receivers out of aluminum basically forever. Aluminum could maybe be made to handle .22lr type pressures, but certa…

If I recall correctly, the lower is also the only part of the assembled weapon that requires registration.

Incorrect. The lower is the only part of the assembled weapon upon which a serial # is applied and a tax is paid. It is also the # that is recorded on the Form 4473 at the dealer when you purchase the weapon.

There is no federal level firearms registration (excepting NFA items), and only a few states that do so as well.

Re: Gunsmith Uses 3D Printer To Make A Rifle

#64

Post by kunle »

ef4 wrote: post #26

Any competent machinist can make functional semiautomatic weapons. This is just the next step in making it even easier. If the United States ever got serious about banning firearms, a massive homebrew industry would grow up overnight. Gunpowder is not fundamentally harder to make than methamphetamine. People who quite rightly see our drug laws as pointless and ineffective somehow often miss that a gun ban would be no…

Banning guns will require a change in the constitution, and will likely never happen as a result. In addition, even if it did happen, it would likely be unpopular because of the demand side as you mention.

That being said, the argument(s) for mandatory background checks, tracking whose buying what, and assault weapons restrictions are pretty compelling, and while they are supply side solutions, they can hardly be called ineffective and pointless. There are very few instances in which one individual (or a small group) assembling/developing an arsenal of military grade (and/or military quantity) can be considered defensible.

Imagine this: the same way there is a massive public outcry for sexual predators to be outed in their neighborhoods - what if people with assault weapons were also outed in their neighborhoods? Would you be willing to share a wall with someone who had 6k rounds of ammunition?

Re: Gunsmith Uses 3D Printer To Make A Rifle

#65

Post by mc32 »

WiseWeasel wrote: post #62
mc32 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But people need to get to places. People don't need guns for daily survival. Japan annually sees double digit gun-deaths. In the US we see triple digit accidental gun deaths.

There is still a significant number of people in the US who hunt for subsistence, or to supplement their diet. If you live in rural Alaska, you might rely on your gun for daily survival in a very real and immediate sense. Some cynics might say the same for Compton or Detroit.

Japan's Swords and Firearms laws allow for that. It's a lengthy and involved process. It's not a short process, but if you could prove that it was really necessary -such as life sustaining necessary, you could obtain a shotgun, for example.

Re: Gunsmith Uses 3D Printer To Make A Rifle

#66

Post by figglesonrails »

grecy wrote: post #38
HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. See my post about making guns by hand. As a 12 year old boy I was making gunpowder from drugstore items and launching rockets made from rolled-up newspaper. This stuff ain't hard to do!!

Of course. Let's pretend Billy Bob is a heated rage because he just found out so-and-so slept with so-and-so (or whatever). What's more likely? a) He walks around to so-and-sos house with his legally purchased, unlicensed, unregistered semi automatic assault rifle and 1000+ rounds, and kills the whole family, and anyone else unlucky enough to be nearby. or b) He spends days (weeks?) making his own gun, gunpowder and…

What part of "HOMICIDAL MANIAC" do you not understand? Do you think he'll only kill the family and anyone else who gets in his way ONLY if he has a gun? I don't think this is how homicidal maniacs work.

Re: Gunsmith Uses 3D Printer To Make A Rifle

#67

Post by mgarfias »

angersock wrote: post #56
grecy wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course. Let's pretend Billy Bob is a heated rage because he just found out so-and-so slept with so-and-so (or whatever). What's more likely? a) He walks around to so-and-sos house with his legally purchased, unlicensed, unregistered semi automatic assault rifle and 1000+ rounds, and kills the whole family, and anyone else unlucky enough to be nearby. or b) He spends days (weeks?) making his own gun, gunpowder and…

I resent your (probably intentional) choice of names. Were you trying to pick on rednecks/hicks? Anyways, most likely: he does nothing. Your option A is silly. First, 1000 rounds of .223 is fairly heavy (that's > 30 magazines of normal size). Second, "Unregistered"? "Unlicensed"? What good is paperwork going to do if he decides to shoot someone? We already have ( http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp#background ) f…

To clarify:

The only firearms in the US (federal level) that are registered are NFA items (machine guns, suppressors, short barreled rifles and shotguns, etc).

Firearms are not "licensed", people are. And in the US, in a vast majority of the states, there is no required licensing of people wanting to own a weapon. States like Illinois or New York are the exception.

Re: Gunsmith Uses 3D Printer To Make A Rifle

#68

Post by grecy »

angersock wrote: post #56
grecy wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course. Let's pretend Billy Bob is a heated rage because he just found out so-and-so slept with so-and-so (or whatever). What's more likely? a) He walks around to so-and-sos house with his legally purchased, unlicensed, unregistered semi automatic assault rifle and 1000+ rounds, and kills the whole family, and anyone else unlucky enough to be nearby. or b) He spends days (weeks?) making his own gun, gunpowder and…

I resent your (probably intentional) choice of names. Were you trying to pick on rednecks/hicks? Anyways, most likely: he does nothing. Your option A is silly. First, 1000 rounds of .223 is fairly heavy (that's > 30 magazines of normal size). Second, "Unregistered"? "Unlicensed"? What good is paperwork going to do if he decides to shoot someone? We already have ( http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp#background ) f…

> I resent your (probably intentional) choice of names. Were you trying to pick on rednecks/hicks?

Apologies. I was trying to use a "generic" name.

> Second, "Unregistered"? "Unlicensed"? What good is paperwork going to do if he decides to shoot someone?

I expect he'll be less likely to kill people if he knows the weapon is tied to him. (and he might not have it in the first place, which is the case if I try to buy one in Australia right now)

> What does small caliber even mean to you?

I mean say a .22 instead of a center fire. Less killing power. bolt action also means less killing power (i.e. much slower)

> Lastly, you omit the option where he attacks them with a knife, or makes a simple blackpowder IED, or what not.

knife could harm or kill just a couple of people. IED is in the same range as a homemade gun in that it takes a long time and lots of effort to make.

> You're just being alarmist and ignorant.

Actually, I own a .30-06 and a 12 gauge and regularly go hunting.

Re: Gunsmith Uses 3D Printer To Make A Rifle

#69

Post by figglesonrails »

OmegaHN wrote: post #45
grecy wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course. Let's pretend Billy Bob is a heated rage because he just found out so-and-so slept with so-and-so (or whatever). What's more likely? a) He walks around to so-and-sos house with his legally purchased, unlicensed, unregistered semi automatic assault rifle and 1000+ rounds, and kills the whole family, and anyone else unlucky enough to be nearby. or b) He spends days (weeks?) making his own gun, gunpowder and…

I think that the problem lies with Billy Bob, not the gun. It's not worth preventing the edge cases if that means reducing the average person's ability to defend themselves. Say that one person of the family had a pistol, and ran and got it while the Billy was busy shooting the others? The family member could then shoot Billy and possibly save a few family members. Guns are a means of personal power, and while loose…

And for those who say "bah hard to get illegal guns", replace the word "guns" with "drugs" and tell me how hard those are to get.

Re: Gunsmith Uses 3D Printer To Make A Rifle

#70

Post by runjake »

grecy wrote: post #38
HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. See my post about making guns by hand. As a 12 year old boy I was making gunpowder from drugstore items and launching rockets made from rolled-up newspaper. This stuff ain't hard to do!!

Of course. Let's pretend Billy Bob is a heated rage because he just found out so-and-so slept with so-and-so (or whatever). What's more likely? a) He walks around to so-and-sos house with his legally purchased, unlicensed, unregistered semi automatic assault rifle and 1000+ rounds, and kills the whole family, and anyone else unlucky enough to be nearby. or b) He spends days (weeks?) making his own gun, gunpowder and…

That's a pretty bigoted comment. When's the last time you heard of a "redneck"/"hick" as you'd probably call them, commit mass murder with a firearm? If anything, I find them generally far more responsible with firearms because they grew up learning about them, not learning about them in violent action movies with ceramic Glocks.
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