Judge Blocks Release of Blueprints For 3D-Printed Guns (nbcnews.com)

U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday to stop the release of blueprints to make untraceable and undetectable 3D-printed plastic guns, saying they could end up in the wrong hands. Defense Distributed reached a settlement with the federal government in late June allowing them to freely publish the 3D files. NBC News reports: "There is a possibility of irreparable harm because of the way these guns can be made," he said. Congressional Democrats have urged President Donald Trump to reverse the decision to let Defense Distributed publish the plans. Trump said Tuesday that he's "looking into" the idea, saying making 3D plastic guns available to the public "doesn't seem to make much sense!" Eight Democratic attorneys general had filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block the federal government's settlement with Defense Distributed. They also sought the restraining order, arguing the 3D guns would be a safety risk. Earlier today, Senate Democrats introduced two bills addressing 3D-printed guns. The first bill would make it illegal to publish 3D-printed gun blueprints. The second bill would require weapons to include at least one metal component with a serial number to make them traceable. Downloads of the 3D-printed gun blueprints have been suspended until Cody Wilson [the owner of Defense Distributed] reviews Lasnik's order. It is unclear how many times the blueprints were downloaded, but some news outlets say the online manuals have been downloaded thousands of times and posted elsewhere online.

Comments

Re:bittorrent

[110010001000]

Sure it will. After all think of the children/terrorists/copyright holders. Computing is more walled off than ever before. It is only a matter of time before only approved devices and software are allowed on the Internet. This already happens with the vast majority of mobile traffic.

Why don't you? This already law. Passing it again

[raymorris]

> If the blueprints are already easy to create and readily available why doesn't everyone 3D print guns yet

I posted the instructions here on Slashdot two days ago. Why didn't you build one?

Here are some reasons I don't build one for use with regular, lethal ammunition:
The ones I can buy are much better than what I'd build. Same reason I don't build a toaster, or a bicycle.

It's safer not to.

Some cops might not know it's legal, so I could go to jail until my lawyer handles it.

As for "would require weapons to include at least one metal component", that's already existing federal law. Passing the same law again is theater for the uninformed.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/us...

(p)
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive any firearmâ"
(A) that, after removal of grips, stocks, and magazines, is not as detectable as the Security Exemplar, by walk-through metal detectors calibrated and operated to detect the Security Exemplar; or
(B) any major component of which, when subjected to inspection by the types of x-ray machines commonly used at airports, does not generate an image that accurately depicts the shape of the component.

Tempest in a teapot.

[johnnys]

Anyone with the use of their hands and a few tools from the local hardware store can make a "zip gun" from scrap metal. It doesn't take a genius to make such a gun, which will be just as effective as what comes out of a 3D printer. This is a well known and common criminal practice, for many years now. Sure, it's illegal but it happens all the time.

But now we have a new way to make a "zip gun": Instead of a few bucks worth of hand tools and some scrap we need a computer and a 3D printer, which costs a LOT more! And usually the sort of people who have such equipment probably have something better to do than making stupid 3D printed zip guns.

But this is so terribly scary that the media has to freak out and the gummint has to ban it. Lots of money, time and effort wasted over this non-problem. But the media and the politicians all have to keep us scared or we might start thinking for ourselves and they can't have that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

"Author Harlan Ellison describes the zip guns gangs used in 1950s New York City as being made from tubing used in coffee percolators or automobile radio antennas, strapped to a block of wood for a handle. A rubber band powered the firing pin, which the shooter pulls back and releases to fire."

Re:bittorrent

[ShanghaiBill]

Really? Who exactly was doing the restricting?

The federal government prohibited commercial traffic over any NSF (National Science Foundation) funded network, which at the time included most of the Internet backbones. The "no commercial use" restriction was not repealed until around 1990.

Re:bittorrent

[stealth_finger]

I have had the plans for 5 years. I don't want a 3D printed gun. I want to have the choice.

LK

You have the choice already, just like you have the choice to rob a bank.

Re:That's The THing About All of This...

[cayenne8]

...these aren't, "plastic guns"

They are merely fancy zip guns. They are as dangerous to the shooter as they are to the target.

Well, you're partially right.

There are no real TRUE 100% plastic guns really, I think the guy made ONE that was about 99% plastic, but he still had to have some metal for a firing pin.

You're right that a gun made mostly out of plastic is useless, BUT....here what is happening.

Let's take an AR 15 for instance. For this gun, the ATF ONLY considers the lower receiver, the part usually that is serialized, to be the weapon. For a commercial one sold ready to go, it has to be serialized and you have to buy from FFL and do the paperwork.

But, all the other components, the upper receiver, the barrel, the bolt, the trigger, and all the other moving parts, are not considered the weapon and can be freely bought without any paper work or trace..

What people are doing, is 3D printing the lower receiver....with no serial number and buying all the rest of the parts to build an AR.

It still isn't going to generally last all that long, but it will be functional for awhile.

People have been able to CNC and mill their own receivers out of metal, and it is perfectly legal....for personal use and no selling.

In fact there has been an industry spring up past years, of the 80% lower....which is almost a fully fashioned commercial metal lower receiver.

This is sold with jigs to use with drills and other home tools, to finish out the milling, and from there you can also build a nicely working AR, just add the other parts as described above. You don't have to register it, or serialize it.

I believe the 1911 handgun is easy to do, and they sell lower polymer kits for you to build your own block in this fashion.

Only recently has the state of CA started passing laws for citizens to have to register and serialize these type of things after you build them, but that's about the only place.

Anyway, it has been long settle law that you can build your own guns, as long as they aren't fully automatic. If prescient holds, along with the 1st amendment argument, this should pass.

I"m imagining when metal 3D "printing" becomes more economical and common, then, fully metal guns can be readily printed, but that's not in the near future that I can see at this time.