You still need the springs for the magazines. Next up? SPRING LEGISLATION.
Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats
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GasBandit
Staff member
I'd say it's closer to the ability to home brew alcohol renders alcohol prohibition moot. Which it did. Cooking meth is a bit different, as you kinda can 'splode doing it. But I would also say that the US's war on drugs is a largely futile (and extremely expensive) waste of time that puts people in jail who shouldn't be there.
But just imagine how moot drug laws would be if you could download joints and print THEM out.
Son, that's a whole lot of printing (and since forged metal can't be printed yet you aren't really going to be able to make a working car from a 3D printer yet).
***EDIT*** I stand corrected. You would need access to some very expensive equipment but you could theoretically print parts like connecting rods or pistons out of steel, polish them manually and then heat treat them to give them the strength and wear resistance they require. With sufficient Z-resolution you could even print extremely complicated parts like herringbone or helical gears. Scary stuff.
You know, with an advanced 3D laser sintering printer you could probably print functional metal parts for a firearm (firing chamber, barrel, bolt, etc) and heat treat them after.
Then you could use a high quality additive 3D printer to print all the plastic parts out of high quality thermoplastic.
Hell you could probably print the brass cartridges too.
Then you could use a high quality additive 3D printer to print all the plastic parts out of high quality thermoplastic.
Hell you could probably print the brass cartridges too.
Brass is really a one time investment if your doing it right. A reloading kit is comparatively cheap ($300+) and gives you everything you need to construct your own rounds aside from the actual brass, bullet, primer and gunpowder. All four of those things are MUCH cheaper to get separately than as actual bullets. You just need to make sure your range doesn't require you to leave your brass where it lies... some ranges sell the brass to make up for slow periods.
Hell, with a 3D printer you might not even need to buy the actual bullet. They already make "green" bullets that use no lead but have the same density and properties. If you could buy the material they use to make them, it's conceivable you could make bullets yourself.
You make a valid point, but my question remains. Wouldn't GasBandit's argument be similar to saying "People can make their own drugs, so there's no point in making it illegal to make/buy/sell drugs"?
Babies shouldn't be illegal, Stienman is going to keep making them anyways.
Because the technology hasn't gotten there yet. Firearms have multiple moving parts made from different materials and as of yet even though you can print metal you still need to heat treat it so it doesn't blow up in your face. So you need to make the metal parts separately from the plastic parts and from the other different metal parts (firing pin, etc). Plus you can't print the gunpowder (yet).
Would you really want to use a "disposable" firearm? I sure as hell wouldn't. Nothing like having it backfire through your shoddily made firing chamber into your face.
GasBandit
Staff member
And my reply to you was, the drug you used as an example was dangerous to make, so there were other issues and it wasn't a direct comparison. Then I went on to say that I believed the war on drugs was wasteful and unjust as well as circumventable. IE, yes, I believe the fact that you can cultivate your own pot in your closet does render moot much of marijuana prohibition.[DOUBLEPOST=1360021007][/DOUBLEPOST]And I would SO download a car.
Picks aren't illegal in the US, last time I checked. It's a pretty simple matter to buy a pick gun these days.
From what I understand, based on postings by an experienced 3-D printing applications user on another forum, it would be nearly impossible to "print" a 3-D gun and/or ammo that would be useful in any manner. The problem is that the main principle behind the operation of firearms is... well, fire. And the temps needed to fire a gun properly would essentially destroy the printed gun and/or ammo before it even reached its intended target.
Basically, it's going to be a one shot deal until we get better plastics or printers on the market. Still, a single shot, easily concealable firearm wouldn't be that hard to make, even without the printer.
Bombs are illegal to own and use, yet easily made at home. Some guns are easily modified to fully automatic weapons, but it's still illegal to do so or possess one without the proper permit.
Let's just go on like before though. Pretend nothing happened or will ever happen again.
Oh, and I'm all for the NRA's plan of armed guards in all schools. As long as they can come up with the funding for it. At a time when things as simple as music and art programs are being cut due to funding, paying full time armed guards at all schools that could cover all entrances would destroy their budgets. But hey, think of the children! Plus we could shoot shit loads of rounds off without reloading! Woooo!
You wouldn't even need to go that far. If you really wanted to, you could stick it in something as small as an eyeglass case or a thick marker/pen. I KNOW that the US State department used to issue eyeglass case guns to some ambassadors. All you had to do was squeeze it and it'd fire off a .22.
As for Pen guns...
Obama was in town yesterday and they interviewed a guy he met with on NPR this morning, who works in our "crime-ridden" north side of Minneapolis and he said that he was way less interested in an "assault weapons ban" than with closing lots of the loopholes for buying pistols and shotguns since that was what most murders were committed with.
Seems reasonable to me. I'm sure it doesn't to the NRA so it will never happen but... still sounds reasonable to me. If you haven't heard much about how the NRA has limited the ability of the government to regulate guns or enforce the current gun laws (despite their mantra of "we just need to enforce current gun laws!") it's worth checking out. On the Media did a show on how they evolved from a pretty staunch advocate for responsible gun control to a giant lobbyist organization that does anything to stop the enforcement of current laws.
EDIT: Sorry, that link was only to a small portion of the show, this one is the whole thing, it's not all about gun control so I'm thinking maybe I was thinking about a Fresh Air show... anyway, here's this link: http://www.onthemedia.org/2012/dec/21/
If I find the fresh air interview I'll post it as well (if there is one... it's early and my brain isn't on fully). Here's the Fresh Air show: http://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167694808/assault-style-weapons-in-the-civilian-market
It really gets into the nitty gritty of the history of assault style weapons, the NRA and the government.
Seems reasonable to me. I'm sure it doesn't to the NRA so it will never happen but... still sounds reasonable to me. If you haven't heard much about how the NRA has limited the ability of the government to regulate guns or enforce the current gun laws (despite their mantra of "we just need to enforce current gun laws!") it's worth checking out. On the Media did a show on how they evolved from a pretty staunch advocate for responsible gun control to a giant lobbyist organization that does anything to stop the enforcement of current laws.
EDIT: Sorry, that link was only to a small portion of the show, this one is the whole thing, it's not all about gun control so I'm thinking maybe I was thinking about a Fresh Air show... anyway, here's this link: http://www.onthemedia.org/2012/dec/21/
If I find the fresh air interview I'll post it as well (if there is one... it's early and my brain isn't on fully). Here's the Fresh Air show: http://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167694808/assault-style-weapons-in-the-civilian-market
It really gets into the nitty gritty of the history of assault style weapons, the NRA and the government.
Don't take too much of what I say at night seriously. My brain is only half way functioning, and not the good half.
Bombs don't have to be huge to take out a lot of people, and they're a lot easier to make than buying a 3d printer and figuring out how to make a large capacity clip that actually works. It's also a lot easier to make a few pipe bombs than to reload a few thousands rounds of ammunition. Like you said, guns might not be able to take down buildings, but it's a whole lot easier to kill a bunch of people with them. Mainly because explosives are so highly regulated, and guns are so easily available.
GasBandit
Staff member
Actually, once the design phase is done, actually producing is easy to the point of boring. Somebody else has already worked out the design of the magazine that works, and reloading ammo isn't exactly rocket surgery - I mean, really, tons of rednecks already do that now just for fun and economy.
It's a whole heck of a lot harder and more expensive than slapping together a pipe bomb. The point is, just because it's easy to do doesn't mean it shouldn't be illegal.
GasBandit
Staff member
Using it immorally should be illegal. But when there's a justifiable reason to have it legally, making "having" it illegal because what a criminally minded individual might do with it when it's literally as easy as pushing a button or pulling a lever to get only disarms those who aren't criminally minded and aren't the problem in the first place.
Hence, moot.
*taps mic*
Is this thing on?
Is this thing on?
GasBandit
Staff member
This just in, an international ban on Taylor Swift has been negotiated in the UN general assembly... as well as a ban on every man ever.
I didn't think this needed it's own thread, so I'll drop it here.
Apparently Iran has developed their own stealth fighter. The only problem is, it's exterior is most likely too irregular to be stealth, the space available for the engine is most likely way too small to power it, and it's made out of fiberglass... The list goes on, but it's interesting that all the warning signs on the plane are in english.
Apparently Iran has developed their own stealth fighter. The only problem is, it's exterior is most likely too irregular to be stealth, the space available for the engine is most likely way too small to power it, and it's made out of fiberglass... The list goes on, but it's interesting that all the warning signs on the plane are in english.
GasBandit
Staff member
Today's "Thanks Obama" gif was a poop joke, not their best stuff. I only post the ones that really make me laugh.