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World's first 3D printed gun test fired

m.bbc.co.uk

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Re: World's first 3D printed gun test fired

#2
Call me a simpleton or luddite if you will, but I don't even have a regular printer at my home and I don't see a good reason to have a 3D printer either. Also, a non-techie like my brother (who probably wouldnt use this anyways) can barely install Microsoft Word, so telling him to print off a gun is an aggressive leap forward.

I just don't understand what good these types of articles play or what practice purpose they serve, other than to just strike fear into the lay persons mind.

Re: World's first 3D printed gun test fired

#3
post #2

Call me a simpleton or luddite if you will, but I don't even have a regular printer at my home and I don't see a good reason to have a 3D printer either. Also, a non-techie like my brother (who probably wouldnt use this anyways) can barely install Microsoft Word, so telling him to print off a gun is an aggressive leap forward. I just don't understand what good these types of articles play or what practice purpose the…

[deleted]

Re: World's first 3D printed gun test fired

#4
post #2

Call me a simpleton or luddite if you will, but I don't even have a regular printer at my home and I don't see a good reason to have a 3D printer either. Also, a non-techie like my brother (who probably wouldnt use this anyways) can barely install Microsoft Word, so telling him to print off a gun is an aggressive leap forward. I just don't understand what good these types of articles play or what practice purpose the…

It's the people who do want a 3D printer that you gotta watch out for.

Re: World's first 3D printed gun test fired

#5
post #2

Call me a simpleton or luddite if you will, but I don't even have a regular printer at my home and I don't see a good reason to have a 3D printer either. Also, a non-techie like my brother (who probably wouldnt use this anyways) can barely install Microsoft Word, so telling him to print off a gun is an aggressive leap forward. I just don't understand what good these types of articles play or what practice purpose the…

This article I dont believe is supposed to strike fear in viewers (though, one would be fine to assume as much, this is news media). It's more to highlight that gun control could be ultimately pointless and also to demonstrate the real world applications for 3D printing. It's a pretty good ad for 3D printing, while also appealing to many - disproportionately, nearly every piece of western mainstream entertainment invokes guns somehow.

Re: World's first 3D printed gun test fired

#6
post #5
post #2

Call me a simpleton or luddite if you will, but I don't even have a regular printer at my home and I don't see a good reason to have a 3D printer either. Also, a non-techie like my brother (who probably wouldnt use this anyways) can barely install Microsoft Word, so telling him to print off a gun is an aggressive leap forward. I just don't understand what good these types of articles play or what practice purpose the…

This article I dont believe is supposed to strike fear in viewers (though, one would be fine to assume as much, this is news media). It's more to highlight that gun control could be ultimately pointless and also to demonstrate the real world applications for 3D printing. It's a pretty good ad for 3D printing, while also appealing to many - disproportionately, nearly every piece of western mainstream entertainment inv…

I think these are very good points. I guess I simply hope for the sake of humanity that a practical real world applicational use for 3D printing is not guns! I appreciate your thoughts, cheers!

Re: World's first 3D printed gun test fired

#7
post #2

Call me a simpleton or luddite if you will, but I don't even have a regular printer at my home and I don't see a good reason to have a 3D printer either. Also, a non-techie like my brother (who probably wouldnt use this anyways) can barely install Microsoft Word, so telling him to print off a gun is an aggressive leap forward. I just don't understand what good these types of articles play or what practice purpose the…

It's not about fear, it's about technology. We are going to have to deal with the social issues eventually when it comes to 3d printing going mainstream (which there is no reason it wouldn't.)

I think the intention of the article is to say: 'Look at this. What happens when we can 3D print anything we need? What happens then?' - A gun would be one of the hardest things to print due to the strength needed.

Re: World's first 3D printed gun test fired

#8
I always wonder why these articles don't mention that the ability to personally make a gun with a CNC machine has existed for quite a few years. There isn't a lot of new ground being broken in terms of "Freedom to create firearms in your home" with 3D printing.

Re: World's first 3D printed gun test fired

#9
Here is the raw file itself:

http://defcad.org/liberator

http://defcad.org/wp-content/plugins/download-monitor/downlo...

The ATF has actually said in Forbes that it is legal in the US to download and 3D print this file for personal use. Be careful to remain compliant with your local laws, however. Note that the name of this gun ("The Liberator") is a direct reference to the FP-45 Liberator, from World War II:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FP-45_Liberator

  The proposed intent was to air-drop these single-shot 
  weapons at concentration camps where internees would pick 
  up these weapons, overcome Nazi Guards, and hopefully 
  liberate the camp. ...

  The weapon was valued as much for its psychological warfare 
  effect as its actual field performance. It was believed 
  that if vast quantities of these weapons could be delivered 
  into Axis-occupied territory, it would have a devastating 
  effect on the morale of occupying troops. The plan was to 
  drop the weapon in such great quantities that occupying 
  forces could never capture or recover all the weapons. It 
  was hoped that the thought of thousands of these 
  unrecovered weapons potentially in the hands of the 
  citizens of occupied countries would have a deleterious 
  effect on enemy morale.
The Forbes piece on the Liberator has more details:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/05/05/meet-th...

Re: World's first 3D printed gun test fired

#10
Countries whose primary gun control measures are currently at the point of sale will have to decide pretty soon if they're going to ban personal 3D printers or resign themselves to the fact that as in the US, the average petty criminal will have access to guns.
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