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Australian State Bans Possession of Blueprints For 3D Printing Firearms (computerworld.com.au)

Posted by samzenpus on from the go-directly-to-jail dept.

angry tapir writes: Possessing files that can be used to 3D print firearms will soon be illegal in the Australian state of New South Wales after new legislation, passed last week by state parliament, comes into effect. Possessing files for 3D printing guns will be punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The provisions "are targeted at criminals who think they can steal or modify firearms or manufacture firearms from 3D blueprints," NSW's justice minister, Troy Grant, said when introducing the bill in the state's lower house on 27 October. "Those who think they can skirt the law will find themselves facing some of the toughest penalties for firearms offences in this country," Grant said.

35 of 313 comments (clear)

  1. Torrent by rfengr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Man, what a nanny state. Need to put that defense distributed torrent back up.

    1. Re:Torrent by Z00L00K · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just mail some 3D blueprints to every .au address you can find. That would spice up things a bit.

      "From: primeminister@gov.au" of course.

      --
      If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
    2. Re:Torrent by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The funny part is it's a LOT easier to make an AK47 (full automatic) in a garage with some cheap easy to get tools than it is to print a plastic pistol with a single high cost hard to get tool. I can go to any tool store and buy everything I need to make an AK47 for less than 1/3rd the price of the 3d printer that is capable of doing it. Yes my cheapie china metal lathe will be of crap quality and probably fail after making only a a few guns, but it's still possible.

      Yet these drooling morons in charge of most governments are so poorly educated that they prefer to freak out about a plastic toy that only rich people are able to actually make and the usability of the "gun" is very very low. Every time there is a new "outrage" or "law" passed on this thing it tells me that the leaders of that country have IQ's that are so close to 80 (functioning moron level) that it's scares me a bit.

      If people are electing very low IQ people to leadership positions does that mean the collective IQ of the general population is so low that they think these people are smart?

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    3. Re: Torrent by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I should be able to easily buy a silencer. In fact most gun owners should be REQUIRED to own silencers to reduce the amount of hearing loss and noise pollution around gun ranges.

      Yet most people freak the hell out about anyone owning a silencer... (Tip: silencers dont silence anything... it reduces the 160db crack down to 102db so I'm not popping ear drums and making you hear the crack at your home from the gun range)

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    4. Re:Torrent by KGIII · · Score: 2, Insightful

      In short order, with distributed compute power, we might be able to set this up in chunks (each getting a reasonable set) and every one of us send out a few hundred thousand of them to ensure we've covered every single alphanumerical combination up to 12 letters for the entirety of the .gov.au addresses or whatnot. With enough time, and enough effort, we could even cover all the major email providers including the various ISPs. We can even us VPNs and spread our message of love and freedom across the globe as far as originating IP addresses are concerned.

      Hmm... I imagine it'd be fairly trivial to get a small script going that sends mail. It probably wouldn't even have to be a full blown server? I've done some playing with SendMail but I don't think that's quite what I'm looking for. Hell, we could all do it and just have it use random combinations. Some would be repeats, of course, but that'd be enough to get the message across. Some random and some regex, a small script (I'm sure I can find one), and a list of email providers as well as government ccTLDs and we should be good to go. We can probably be even fancier if we know the format they use for email addresses and wanted to create a dictionary to work with.

      We should probably wait for them to enact the law before acting on this. I think this is a lesson best learned in hindsight and not foresight. If they want to behave in a ludicrous manner then they should expect a ludicrous response. If our Australian brothers aren't going to stand up for themselves then we should do it on their behalf. This is, of course, assuming that they don't stand up for themselves and that the law is enacted. We might as well wait for that and see if they're going to punish themselves for possession of these plans.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    5. Re: Torrent by DogDude · · Score: 2

      I should be able to buy a full auto, short barreled rifle, at the corner store with no nanny state interference.

      No, no you shouldn't.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    6. Re: Torrent by MachineShedFred · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's not so much about people freaking out, it's about them being banned by the National Firearms Act of 1934 - the same legislation that bans full-auto / burst fire machineguns, grenades, bombs, missiles, poison gas.

      In October, 2015 Arizona Congressman Matt Salmon introduced the Hearing Protection Act to remove suppressors from the NFA. So at least one Congress critter agrees with you. I'm not really sure where a sound suppressor fits in with machine guns and grenades, but apparently Congress thought so 80 years ago when they were still reeling from the crime associated with prohibition...

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    7. Re:Torrent by TheCastro1689 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Studies show that the larger the group the worse the decision they make is.

    8. Re: Torrent by deathlyslow · · Score: 2

      Who was there first you or them? If it's the latter, stop your complaining and move. It was your choice to move there. If it was the former that sucks for you, too bad you didn't go and complain when they had the zoning hearings for just such a reason.

      --
      Don't blame me for redundant posts. I can't type very fast. Hence the user ID.
    9. Re:Torrent by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      How many people have been killed in modern democratic countries with home-made AK47s, or any kind of home-made rifle? Apparently even the minimal skill and equipment to make your own is more than most people are willing to invest.

      The reason people are more concerned about 3D printed guns is that once 3D printers become cheap and widely available, even a young child could download and print one, and the normal controls on the sale to adults bypassed.

      How likely that is, I don't know... On the one hand, TV shows tend to avoid going into too much detail about how to build things like high power sling shots or potentially dangerous chemistry. A long time ago books covered that stuff, but either because it turned out to be causing a lot of injuries or because of fear of lawsuits they don't any more.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    10. Re: Torrent by Grishnakh · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Such a perfectly American comment here. "I got mine, so fuck you!"

    11. Re: Torrent by cayenne8 · · Score: 2

      I should be able to easily buy a silencer. In fact most gun owners should be REQUIRED to own silencers to reduce the amount of hearing loss and noise pollution around gun ranges.

      It isn't that hard to get a permit for silencers. The best way, I'm looking into, is forming a Gun Trust with some friends. Basically it is a corporation for specially licensed arms. It is nice in that with these, you can generally bypass the local LEO having to sign off on the things like silencers and other things. It is much easier to get your weapons you want within the gun trust set up that as an individual.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    12. Re:Torrent by jcdr · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Every children could take a knife in a kitchen, and most of those knife will probably be more lethal than a plastic gun, without any building effort.

    13. Re:Torrent by eth1 · · Score: 2

      They're not stupid, they just want the ability to throw anyone they want in prison for 14 years just by emailing them a file.

    14. Re: Torrent by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 5, Funny

      If it came in after the fact and you didn't let your wishes be known, it's on you at that point.

      Mr Prosser: But, Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months.
      Arthur: Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn’t exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them had you? I mean like actually telling anybody or anything.
      Mr Prosser: But the plans were on display
      Arthur: On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.
      Mr Prosser: That’s the display department.
      Arthur: With a torch.
      Mr Prosser: The lights had probably gone out.
      Arthur: So had the stairs.
      Mr Prosser: But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?
      Arthur: Yes yes I did. It was on display at the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying beware of the leopard.

    15. Re: Torrent by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 2

      Didja know:

      Suppressors, full-auto and even grenades can all still be purchased legally. You simply need to fill out the paperwork, pay your tax stamp and have the BATF sign off on it. ( All subject to State laws of course, and I believe grenades will fall under the Destructive Device category right next to the mini-gun )

      If memory serves me correctly, ( sometimes it does ) the reason suppressors were originally added to the NFA was due to poaching.

      There is really no reason to regulate / restrict a device which helps dampen a firearms report. ( Notice I said, " dampen " and not silence ) We require them on cars, motorcycles and pretty much anything that is a fuel powered engine for the same purposes. To help quiet them down. If you have ever had a truck drive by sans muffler ( Eg: Straight Pipes ) you know why we require mufflers on all vehicles. Yet, thanks to Hollywood, folks view suppressors as a device designed to help criminals turn into some sort of murderous ninja that can't be caught. :|

      It's highly unlikely anyone will use them on their murderous rampage as a suppressor effectively doubles the length of your typical handgun. Making it a bit hard to hide. In addition, firing a few rounds through one will heat it up quite a bit ( it will remove your fingerprints if you touch it level of hot ) so stuffing the whole thing back into your pants after shooting it is right out. Bigger suppressors require taller sights on a pistol to see over, and generally turn an easy to wield pistol into something a bit less easy to carry about.

      They dampen the report, but not completely. ( A full power .308 will have a report on par with a .22lr ) They are especially welcome in the larger ear-shattering calibers like .338 Lapua Magnum or a blast wave producing .50bmg. Makes them a bit more tolerable for others nearby. ( Some ranges won't allow those calibers due to the noise they produce because of the proximity of homes in the area. Suppress them and it becomes a non-issue )

  2. Re:When guns are outlawed by FooAtWFU · · Score: 5, Funny

    Only outlaws will have guns.

    And as everyone knows, Australia is entirely peopled with criminals, and criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me.

    --
    The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
  3. Which is worse in AU? by JeffOwl · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The penalty for having a digital file that can be used in conjunction with a 3D printer to create a gun, or the penalty for not turning over your encryption keys?

  4. A really effective response by Bruce66423 · · Score: 2

    So you make sure you know the URL, or you keep the file away from prying eyes. As usual in IT the legislation is long out of date. Meanwhile of course sending the file to upstanding citizens could have some entertaining effects...

  5. Re:When guns are outlawed by Errol+backfiring · · Score: 2

    Worse. When technology is outlawed, only outlaws will have technology. It will probably be illegal to develop an injection rifle for a wildlife doctor as well.

    --
    Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
  6. And how many have been made or used by Izuzan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In the commission or a crime ?

    Yeah tjhats what i thought. Kneejerk reactions to a non issue.

    1. Re: And how many have been made or used by Izuzan · · Score: 2

      Or weld one up out of plumbing supplies, or in a machine shop. Much safer with both of those, and likely take less time. Because things like that never happen *cough* prisons *cough cough*

  7. Next step is the book. by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    We've been here before with crypto. The next step is to write the book and publish a gun source in the appendix. Let them start trying to ban the books. It reveals their true nature.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  8. What idiocy by MikeRT · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Those who think they can skirt the law will find themselves facing some of the toughest penalties for firearms offences in this country," Grant said.

    Indonesia executes people for simple drug trafficking.

    Criminals don't really care about the law because there are two main types of criminals who commit serious crimes: the stupid ones who don't think about the consequences and the smart ones who are willing to take more extreme measures to stop people from holding them accountable.

    The one consequence they do tend to fear is a swift death at the hands of a potential victim. That's why increasing the capacity of self-defense for the law-abiding is always a good thing. If an unarmed 6ft tall man gets gunned down trying to rob a 5"2 woman, who cares? He shouldn't have been trying to commit a violent felony. It's not that his life is worth less than her purse, but that when he chose to put her in fear of her life over her purse, he forfeited his right to live in that moment.

    1. Re:What idiocy by Dog-Cow · · Score: 2, Informative

      In the past several weeks, Israeli police and citizens have been gunning down Arab idiots who are stabbing people and ramming their cars into people. Many, many times, the Arab is killed before killing anyone. Tell us again how not having guns would keep us safer? There'd probably be several hundred dead Israelis at this point, if not for guns.

      I know to shit heads like you, Israeli lives don't matter, but to real people, guns are a good thing.

    2. Re:What idiocy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It's always interesting to see one's own country through the lens of another.

      A specific event caused the clampdown on gun ownership in Australia. Following Port Arthur and the ensuing confiscation of weaponry, incidents of gun violence basically dropped to zero. Violent crime in general has decreased - individual categories (robberies, assaults, kidnappings, sexual assaults, etc) are either trending downwards or not increased at all.

      I've owned guns, I know people who still own and use guns for recreation and/or work. The rules aren't particularly harsh. It's a deadly weapon, if you want one, they just want to know why. You like shooting things and playing with guns? Cool. Here's licenses for target shooting, and we'll check in with your gun club occasionally to make sure you're still a member. You're culling pest animals because you're on acreage? No worries. Different license.

      What I don't understand is the attitude of entitlement that just anyone can arm themselves with a deadly weapon because they just might have to pull it on someone after their wallet. Without the training or knowledge of how to handle it - and yourself in that situation - it's about as useful as a lump of wood. Statistically, you're twice as likely to damage yourself rather than your target. That's the idea of target practice and defence courses. Lets not forget you may've just shot and maimed/killed someone because "who cares?", it's just a thief. Since when is that up to you?

      The problem our laws, and these new laws, are trying to solve is not criminals or terr'ists running around with plastic AKs. It's to prevent idiots from harming themselves and others, going off half-cocked (literally) or putting deadly weapons into the hands of people with poor judgement who would otherwise have a bit of time to calm down.

    3. Re:What idiocy by KGIII · · Score: 4, Insightful

      To which I ask, what's your point? I accept that risk in the name of freedom. You can have freedom or the illusion of safety, which would you prefer? If someone wants to kill you, they'll do so with or without a firearm. Bad things happen. Oh well. You get freedom or the illusion of safety. Numerically, it's a trivial amount of difference. Thoughts like your thoughts are what gave us Homeland Security and the TSA. I would rather die free than live a coward, as pithy as that sounds - it is entirely true.

      You are not going to get a completely safe world. The problem is not firearms, the problem is culture, crime, risks and rewards, and poverty. Taking the guns away attempts to cure the symptom and not the disease. I am not a coward and I don't think we should amend the constitution because you're afraid. I don't think that people who live in constant fear make good decisions. Just because you're afraid of some gun violence does not mean that the problem is the guns themselves. You should know the causation and correlation adage well enough by now.

      There are countries with a higher per capita gun ownership rate than the US that have far fewer violent crimes or shootings. (See Sweden for one example.) The problem is not now, nor has it ever been, the tool. The problem is cultural, economic, educational, and the risks of being caught being so great that they're willing to die to avoid the punishment - which means they're willing to kill.

      For a bunch of supposedly logical people who love to trot out statistics and numbers and assume they've made a case, you've continually failed to actually make that case. No, we're not changing the Constitution because you're afraid and unwilling to accept accountability. It's the lack of accountability that has us in this position. It's not the guns, it's the people behind them. This has been explained to you, time and time again. You're peers and yourself are reaching the point where you're starting to act like children. Stop being a coward and trying to base policy on fear rather than actually addressing the problems that you helped to create.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    4. Re:What idiocy by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 2

      I would wager a guess that you've never even been to the United States. If you had, you would realize that the entire " gun " issue is glorified / sensationalized by the media for your viewing pleasure. They love a good tragedy because they can get all sorts of folks riled up on both sides of the debate. I've lived here my entire life ( nearly five decades now ) and have never been witness to a violent act of any sort. With or without firearms.

      Lets use recent events in France for a quick example.

      Tragic ? Absolutely. Rare ? You bet. But it has done nothing but saturate the news for nearly a week now. Everyone has an opinion on how they think things would be different had X or Y rules been in place, but the fact of the matter is: Bad people will always find a way to hurt other people. It's human nature and always has been.

      As long as people exist on this planet, there will always be those who prey on others for a multitude of reasons.

      Oh. . . . and about this statement:

      "The only people who can't see that are the cannon fodder too poor and/or stupid to have ever left the USA, except maybe to hang out in a military base overseas for a year or so."

      There are more than a few folks who understand that the only reason we don't currently answer to the Crown is because of guns. It shows that sometimes, negotiations between two parties just doesn't work and violence becomes the only recourse when your adversary doesn't want to take no for an answer.

      In addition, the only person who would make a comment such as yours would also be ( to borrow your phrase ) " too poor and / or stupid " to have ever bothered to visit the US and make their own judgements based on their experiences vs what the media spoon feeds you in order to generate greater ratings :D

  9. Re:When guns are outlawed by Chrisq · · Score: 5, Funny

    When guns are outlawed

    Only outlaws will have guns.

    Worse. When technology is outlawed, only outlaws will have technology. It will probably be illegal to develop an injection rifle for a wildlife doctor as well.

    I can't help wondering .... if laws were outlawed would only outlaws have laws?

  10. Re:Meh by msk · · Score: 2

    How does rendering good people helpless make bad people become harmless?

  11. Re:Typical Liberal Thinking by pla · · Score: 4, Funny

    First it was real guns. Then it was plans for guns. Next it will be thoughts about guns.

    You left out "PB&J chewed into the shape of a gun".

    For the chil'ens, of course.

  12. TPP by xdor · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So are they going to attempt to enforce this in the United States via the Trans-Pacific Partnership?

  13. Re:When guns are outlawed by Thing+1 · · Score: 2

    Anarchy isn't chaos; it is literally "absence of a ruler", like monarchy means "one ruler".

    Under a system of anarchy there are still common laws, which are discovered, not created. In other words, people understand that it is wrong to harm someone, so the person harming someone will end up paying retribution. All laws are "harm-based", in other words, you're not going to get a fine or jail time if your behavior is not harming others (even if it's self-harming, that's not a crime).

    Our government schools have trained us to think "anarchy == chaos" but it's not the case. An anarchic society will be even less chaotic than today's USA society, where your life can be turned upside down over a vegetable.

    A good way to "outlaw laws" is to a) make them apply to all, not just "everyone who isn't a ruling parasite"; and b) for any law found to be unconstitutional, the authors and those who voted it into congress, will be held liable for treason.

    --
    I feel fantastic, and I'm still alive.
  14. Re:3D printers are for cows. by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 2

    What do you mean? PLA or ABS cows?

  15. illegal to possess an IDEA by r-diddly · · Score: 2

    I know everybody here wants to get on with the business of rehashing the same old boring arguments about guns, but please notice this is about which IDEAS are illegal to possess. A drawing or blueprint is an idea and a piece of communication. It is not a firearm. In America this would be a 1st Amendment issue (not the 2nd).