Bill Regulating 3D Printed Guns Announced In NYC

New submitter BioTitan writes "New York City may be the first state to crack down on 3D printed guns. Two pieces of legislation were introduced on June 13, one in the City Council that only allows licensed gunsmiths to print the guns, and another in the State Assembly that would make it illegal for anyone to print a gun. Cody Wilson, creator of the first 3D printed guns, and founder of Defense Distributed, told The Epoch Times, 'Such legislation is a deprivation of equal protection and works in clear ignorance of Title I and II of U.S. gun laws.'"

Re:It's incredible to me

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

A large number of atheists are libertarian, not leftist. We leave all religions behind, including the religions of the left and right, which, like any good religion, foists groupthink for the purpose of seizure of power for the leaders.

As with more normal religions, the best policy is to let people be free.

New York City is not its own state (yet)

[imadork]

Please keep in mind that New York City is not it's own state. And the rest of the state is pretty steamed about the recent gun legislation that the Governor jammed through the state legislature. Some upstate sheriffs have even gone so far as to say they will not enforce that legislation, which is a pretty big step for law enforcement to come out and state in public. Gun rights are a twitchy subject here right now, I find it hard to think of any upstate politician who would support any restriction on 3d printing right now.

Re:Fear and Ignorance

[Anonymous Coward]

9. May I lawfully make a firearm for my own personal use, provided it is not being made for
resale?

Firearms may be lawfully made by persons who do not hold a manufacturer’s license under the GCA
provided they are not for sale or distribution and the maker is not prohibited from receiving or
possessing firearms. However, a person is prohibited from assembling a non-sporting semiautomatic
rifle or shotgun from 10 or more imported parts, as set forth in regulations in 27 C.F.R. 478.39. In
addition, the making of an NFA firearm requires a tax payment and advance approval by ATF. An
application to make a machinegun will not be approved unless documentation is submitted showing
that the firearm is being made for the official use of a Federal, State, or local government agency (18
U.S.C. 922(o),(r); 26 U.S.C. 5822; 27 C.F.R. 478.39, 479.62, and 479.105).

Source: https://www.atf.gov/files/firearms/industry/0501-firearms-top-10-qas.pdf

Re:But... *COMPUTERS*!

[h4rr4r]

Actually you can sell them once you no longer want them. You can't make them with the intent to sell, but you can use sale as a method to dispose of them when you are done with them.

Re:NRA

[gregulator]

According to FactCheck.org, nearly half of the funding for the NRA comes from membership dues alone. Voluntary donations to the NRA, however, still account for a majority portion of the remaining funding.

http://www.policymic.com/articles/23929/10-surprising-facts-about-the-nra-that-you-never-hear [policymic.com]

Re:NRA

[SPQR_Julian]

There really needs to be a "-1, factually incorrect" option.

The NRA is completely on board with legal homemade guns, and membership dues and advertisements are the majority of their income.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rifle_Association#Finances_and_organizational_structure

Re:It's incredible to me

[cod3r_]

You scared of owning guns? It's not about being scared of the boogie man as you put it, it's being prepared for the worst. Guns are fun to shoot and being able to handle them and use them is a skill everyone should have. You might live under a rock, but peoples homes do get invaded daily. Thiefs don't go to the ghettos to rob people they go to suburban neighborhoods.. Is it likely to happen to you?? Statistically no, but if it does and you have no skills or tools to protect yourself you become a victim. This "it can't happen to me" mentality is how highschool kids live their lives. Eventually you grow up and realize it CAN happen to you.

Re:to be expected

[lgw]

Making anyone with a printer a "gunsmith" is just plain irresponsible.

You probably have a mistaken understanding of how difficult it is to make a gun at home with quite basic machining equipment. Here's a detailed photo-record from a guy who legally made an AK-47 from a shovel [northeastshooters.com]. Making an AR-15 (requires much more accurate tolerances) is a bit harder, but most cities have machine shops that regularly provide "maker spaces" (to use the geek term) for doing it right, to high precision.

A 3D printer will make a crappy zip gun. Very primitive metalworking tools will make a working AK-47. A CnC milling machine will make a perfectly fine assault rifle: insert billet, run program. The part of the gun that is legally the gun is the lower receiver, which while difficult to invent is still just a piece of metal. An assault rifle "kit" will include a well-made piece of metal that, with a few holes drilled in the right places, becomes a lower receiver. The rest of the kit is legally irrelevant.

3D printing a lower receiver is new and therefore scary to our rulers, but has little practical application. There's already a legal framework (IANAL, know your local laws) that allows you to buy an "almost" receiver, drill a few holes in the right places, and now you have what is legally a gun. You can't legally sell it - because now it's a gun - but you can legally make and own it (in many places, anyway).

TLDR: the work needed to transform a piece of metal from not-legally-a-gun to legally-a-gun is "precisely drill a few holes". 3D printing is difficult and expensive by comparison.