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UK Ballistics Scientists: 3D-Printed Guns Are 'of No Use To Anyone'

New submitter graveyardjohn writes: "The BBC has a short video about why the U.K.'s National Ballistics Intelligence Service thinks 3D-printed guns are 'of no use to anyone.' They show a 3D-printed gun being fired in a test chamber. The barrel explodes and the bullet flops forward a few feet. They say, 'without additional expertise and the right type of ammunition, anyone attempting to fire one would probably maim or even kill themselves.'"

6 of 490 comments (clear)

  1. Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm fucking sick of seeing 3D printers associated with guns.

  2. Others exist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yet others have been fired multiple times, successfully.

    Either the UK-NBIS sucks at 3D printing, or this is disinformation.

  3. Also, cars are of no use to anyone by Theaetetus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The BBC has a short video about why the U.K.'s National Ballistics Intelligence Service thinks 3D-printed guns are 'of no use to anyone.' They show a 3D-printed gun being fired in a test chamber. The barrel explodes and the bullet flops forward a few feet. They say, 'without additional expertise and the right type of ammunition, anyone attempting to fire one would probably maim or even kill themselves.'

    In a related story, the U.K. Horse and Buggy Registration Service thinks the automobile will be 'of no use to anyone.' They show a vehicle being driven on a test track. It travels a short distance at 10 mph, then the engine blows a rod and one wheel falls off. They say, 'without additional expertise and the right type of petrol, anyone attempting to drive one would probably main or even kill themselves."

  4. Re:Good thing technology never moves forward by DarwinSurvivor · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Or maybe they intentionally did a bad job so others wouldn't even try?

  5. Re:But... by timeOday · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Violent crime is violent crime.

    Baloney. Every nation defines it differently, just as your link states, which is what makes it convenient for spinning fanciful narratives like yours.

    Try comparing something more clear-cut: murder rates: it is 4x higher in the US. So you tell me, if you believe your fictional statistic about 8x the violent crime in the UK, but only 1/4 as many people die, that means "violent" crime is 1/32 as lethal in the UK vs the US. I.e., their "violent crime" is 97% less lethal than ours. And then you use that to argue the type of weapon doesn't matter, or that guns reduce suffering. Please.

  6. Re:But... by locust · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Your guns are going to mean precious little in a few years. Ask any Afghan. Almost everyone has an AK-47. Predator drones don't care. It will be the same here in the good old US of A. Drones will be used in police actions internally in the US because they are cheaper to replace & train than en-vivo police officers.

    Today, arming the population, means teaching them math, science, technical skills, and the civics to know when to put them to use against the government of the day.