The only real benefit of the printer gun is that it's plastic and can be easily smuggled. I can make a better gun from stuff in my shed.

The material used in these 3D printers is very fragile — even the metals that can be used in some printers. One shot can be enough to kill, but the duty cycle for one of these contraptions is probably less than 10 rounds. Accuracy is another issue. As detailed as the output can be, precise machining and metal finishing are what makes a gun more efficient and reliable.

I think these things are a potential problem, but years away from being as much a threat as conventional firearms. And stealth relates to metal detectors — not Xray or imaging systems.

Exactly. I have been trying to think of benefits , if that's the word , to a hijacker within of these things. Getting it on a plane might be easy but with just one shot and the need to be quite close.

Hijacking a taxi, maybe

Dave

On another forum where they know a lot about these things, it was mentioned that , though he fired it once with a .22 (now that I think, it might not have been with a .22 long rifle cartridge, but a .22 short he used, but he did then fire a .380

Then he changed barrels and fired a 5.7x28 cartridge which destroyed the thing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:57_size.jpg

The plastic as is now just won't hold up.


Dave

Dude! Sometimes all it takes is a Box-Cutter.

So if you can print a gun--and I have no doubt that the thing will be fragile now, but will "progress" to become pretty robust--what happens to any gun law? Want a gun? Don't go to the gun store or to the gun show or even on-line. Just print it.

Technology is a very sharp two-sided sword is all Im saying.

Thanx
That's good to know...
my BF was conjecturing what the lines
would be like when you're trying to catch a flight!

...if you think it's a PItA removing your shoes
how long will it take to hand search all the bags? -come on!!!

Most copiers have built-in systems that prevent same size and/or color copying of currency. I'm thinking it's possible to program recognition software that would block the printing of objects that resemble certain firearms parts. If, as is the case with copiers, that function can be integrated (and hack-proofed) into a 3D printer's drivers, it could at least deter the process.

What are you trying to do--kill the 2nd Amendment???!!!



Just in case, ya know.

Believe me, the death of any child is a tragedy for me, but if you check the child mortality stats for firearms, they are by no means the top killer. Here's one link but you all can google it and get more recent ones if you dispute that one, they all are close in numbers. The rates have dropped in the recent years but autos still kill at around 3x the rate for preteens than firearms. Unintentional firearm fatalities like the one in this thread starter are 2% of auto accidents for preteens.

That's why I say this is all hype for the ant-gun crowd. Why not lobby for stricter seat belt/restraint laws for pre-teens too and bring that into the national spotlight.