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posted by martyb on Thursday July 12 2018, @11:59PM   Printer-friendly
from the Maybe-Don't-Try-this-at-home dept.

For those in the US with a combined interest in 3D-Printers, intersections of the 1st and 2nd Amendments, and legal precedents; Cody Wilson has been fighting the US Government for half a decade.

Short version: after Wilson uploaded his 3D pistol plans to his site, over 100,000 people downloaded it - this drew the attention of the US authorities, who tried to use the International Trade in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to force a take-down.

The authorities argued that by posting the 3D printer plans for a firearm, Mr. Wilson was effectively exporting firearms, and subject to federal regulation. Eventually the Department of Justice dropped the case, paving the way for DIY'ers to publish such things freely.

The article cites 'promises' made by DoJ to move the regulations to another department.

Wired's article: A Landmark Legal Shift Opens Pandora's Box for DIY Guns (archive)

Related: The $1,200 Machine That Lets Anyone Make a Metal Gun at Home
Japanese Gun Printer Goes to Jail
Suspected 3D-Printed Gun Parts and Plastic Knuckles Seized in Australia
FedEx Refuses to Ship Defense Distributed's Ghost Gunner CNC Mill
Man Who Used CNC Mill to Manufacture AR-15 "Lowers" Sentenced to 41 Months
Ghost Gunner Software Update Allows the Milling of an M1911 Handgun


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  • (Score: 3, Touché) by bob_super on Friday July 13 2018, @12:08AM (23 children)

    by bob_super (1357) on Friday July 13 2018, @12:08AM (#706419)

    I was really concerned about our ability to procure enough guns.

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  • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Friday July 13 2018, @12:16AM

    by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Friday July 13 2018, @12:16AM (#706422) Journal

    I'll tell you, you're not the only one. Everybody wants to buy our equipment. So we are helping some of those countries get on line and buy the best equipment. We have many wealthy countries allied with us but we have some that aren’t so wealthy and they did ask me if they could buy the military equipment. And could I help them out. And we will help them out a little bit. We are not going to finance it for them but we will make sure that they are able to get payments and various other things so they can buy. Because the United States makes BY FAR the best military equipment in the world. The best jets, the best missiles, the best guns, the best everything!

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by takyon on Friday July 13 2018, @12:17AM (20 children)

    by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Friday July 13 2018, @12:17AM (#706423) Journal

    "Enough" isn't necessarily the draw. "No serial numbers" and "no gun registration" could be.

    And before you say that's stupid, plenty of people here run a certain OS, CPU, or software for paranoia reasons. Printing/milling as many guns as you want without getting put on a watchlist may be an attractive proposition for some.

    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 4, Informative) by physicsmajor on Friday July 13 2018, @01:02AM (2 children)

      by physicsmajor (1471) on Friday July 13 2018, @01:02AM (#706435)

      It is worth noting that producing one's own firearms has always, at all times, been legal so long as they are not otherwise limited (fully automatic weapons, for example).

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 13 2018, @04:24AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 13 2018, @04:24AM (#706517)

        It is worth noting that producing one's own firearms has always, at all times, been legal so long as they are not otherwise limited (fully automatic weapons, for example).

        That may be true for the US, but isn't the case everywhere else on the planet, e.g. the UK has a 'catch-all' clause in the Firearms Act 1968 which prohibits the manufacture of firearms unless you are a registered firearms dealer, not that I see them quaking in their boots regarding 3D printed firearms (the criminals here can apparently get pistols and fully automatic weapons without too much difficulty), though it will give them a chance to rewrite the laws yet again based on the hyped perceived threat of said devices to sneak more general catch-all restrictions through.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 13 2018, @06:51PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 13 2018, @06:51PM (#706735)

          yes, only poor "migrants" can have guns. bootlicking slaves can only be shot by them and beg for help from the government who made you so vulnerable in the first place.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Friday July 13 2018, @01:50AM

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday July 13 2018, @01:50AM (#706451) Journal

      Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master. Commissioner Pravin Lal, U.N. Declaration of Rights

       

      --
      “I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by darkfeline on Friday July 13 2018, @03:01AM (7 children)

      by darkfeline (1030) on Friday July 13 2018, @03:01AM (#706484) Homepage

      Creating the guns isn't a problem. Distributing them is.

      You can print as many guns as you want, a single person armed with fifty guns isn't significantly more dangerous than a single person armed with one or two. Hand them out, now you're equipping an army. Sell them, and the IRS will want a word with you too.

      I think the situation is perfectly reasonable, and more restricted items should be handled like this. Criminalizing mere possession is just a stupid idea all around, for guns, drugs, child porn, etc. If nothing else, it's just asking for the police to plant evidence.

      --
      Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
      • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday July 13 2018, @03:45AM (6 children)

        by Immerman (3985) on Friday July 13 2018, @03:45AM (#706496)

        It seems to me there could be a grey area in the "renting access to a 3D printer" realm. I don't sell you parts - I sell you the usage of my machine, and for your convenience here's a selection of popular objects you might like to print. So long as you're the only person to operate the machine or ever lay hands on the gun parts, existing laws would seem to have nothing to say on the matter.

        • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Friday July 13 2018, @04:50AM (5 children)

          by hemocyanin (186) on Friday July 13 2018, @04:50AM (#706522) Journal

          I have a hazy memory of some guys who had a CNC machine and the gcode to do a lower receiver. They would rent the machine to customers who would initiate the process by pressing a button. They went to prison for illegally manufacturing firearms.

          Now, my seaches haven't turned up this case so maybe my memory is faulty, but it might be worth investigating a bit because if my recollection is correct, this business model will get you a long vacation at Club Fed.

          • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Friday July 13 2018, @04:56AM (4 children)

            by hemocyanin (186) on Friday July 13 2018, @04:56AM (#706523) Journal

            Still can't find the case but there is an ATF ruling on the subject: http://www.atf.gov/sites/default/files/assets/Firearms/FirearmsIndustry/atf-ruling-2015-1-manufacturing-and-gunsmithing.pdf [atf.gov]

            Any person (including any corporation or other legal entity) engaged in the business of performing machining, molding, casting, forging, printing (additive manufacturing) or other manufacturing process to create a firearm frame or receiver, or to make a frame or receiver suitable for use as part of a “weapon ... which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive,” i.e., a “firearm,” must be licensed as a manufacturer under the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA); identify (mark) any such firearm; and maintain required manufacturer’s records. A business (including an association or society) may not avoid the manufacturing license, marking, and recordkeeping requirements of the GCA by allowing persons to perform manufacturing processes on firearms (including frames or receivers) using machinery or equipment under its dominion and control where that business controls access to, and use of, such machinery or equipment.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 13 2018, @07:07AM (1 child)

              by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 13 2018, @07:07AM (#706538)

              > controls access to, and use of

              AND use of. They don't control the use if the user controls the machine.

              • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Saturday July 14 2018, @05:10AM

                by hemocyanin (186) on Saturday July 14 2018, @05:10AM (#706947) Journal

                If you pay you can use it. If you don't pay you can't use it. Thus the owner controls the use of the machine.

                You can argue that "controls" means something else, but then you've already lost because you are being prosecuted, and even if you win (and you CAN totally lose) you lose. The process is punishment enough.

            • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday July 13 2018, @01:43PM (1 child)

              by Immerman (3985) on Friday July 13 2018, @01:43PM (#706609)

              Hmm, that would seem to cover my scenario, wouldn't it?

              Might also prove a rude wake-up call for maker spaces, as they'll likely be on the front line of public access to high-quality 3D printing hardware, as well as other automated machining tools. Best keep an eye on exactly what your clients are making.

              • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Saturday July 14 2018, @05:11AM

                by hemocyanin (186) on Saturday July 14 2018, @05:11AM (#706948) Journal

                Before I got my own printer, my local makerspace was very explicit in the prohibition on using any of their machinery for making firearms.

    • (Score: 2) by http on Friday July 13 2018, @04:20AM (7 children)

      by http (1920) on Friday July 13 2018, @04:20AM (#706513)

      that's hardly a concern in the USA. what registration there is, is deliberately not comptuer-searchable [vice.com].

      If the average person really understood just how impossibly time consuming it is to do a registration search, homicide rates would balloon. Just remember CSI, Law & Order, Bones... fiction in more ways than one.

      --
      I browse at -1 when I have mod points. It's unsettling.
      • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Friday July 13 2018, @05:04AM (6 children)

        by hemocyanin (186) on Friday July 13 2018, @05:04AM (#706524) Journal

        This is true only of the Federal Gov't. Many states have registration schemes. For example, in WA state, the Department of Licensing keeps track of handguns (but not rifles for now): http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9.41.129 [wa.gov]

        And while the statute says "may" -- the state is working hard to get through its backlog, so it is doing it. http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/dec/18/washington-state-gun-database-lacks-info-on-thousa/ [spokesman.com]

        The specific data collected is comprehensive: "At the time of applying for the purchase of a pistol, the purchaser shall sign in triplicate and deliver to the dealer an application containing his or her full name, residential address, date and place of birth, race, and gender; the date and hour of the application; the applicant's driver's license number or state identification card number; a description of the pistol including the make, model, caliber and manufacturer's number if available at the time of applying for the purchase of a pistol." http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9.41.090 [wa.gov]

        • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday July 13 2018, @01:56PM (4 children)

          by Immerman (3985) on Friday July 13 2018, @01:56PM (#706615)

          >keeps track of handguns (but not rifles for now)

          Makes sense - handguns, like assault rifles, are designed for the express purpose of shooting people. Hopefully in situations where it's justified (e.g. self defense), but still. And unlike assault rifles, handguns are cheap, easily concealable, and widely popular.

          • (Score: 2, Informative) by redneckmother on Friday July 13 2018, @04:07PM (1 child)

            by redneckmother (3597) on Friday July 13 2018, @04:07PM (#706674)

            Makes sense - handguns, like assault rifles, are designed for the express purpose of shooting people.

            Ignoring the term "assault rifle", which is controversial.

            Pistols are designed for both hunting and self defense. Come on out to the Western US, where we have critters that'll put a real hurt on you. All my friends and neighbors own at least one pistol, shotgun, AND rifle.

            An AR-15 with a high capacity magazine is REALLY USEFUL when one is confronted by a large pack of Javelina or feral hogs. I'm not speaking hypothetically, but from real experience. Predator control and deer hunting are other primary uses.

            A Taurus Judge is handy to have when the rattlers are about. Again, real experiences.

            Just sayin'.

            --
            Mas cerveza por favor.
            • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Saturday July 14 2018, @01:06PM

              by Immerman (3985) on Saturday July 14 2018, @01:06PM (#707080)

              I live in the Western US, and yeah, we have some critters that will put the hurt on you if you piss them off. Most of them will be a real problem by the time they're close enough for a handgun to be useful, assuming a handgun will do more than just piss them off in the first place. As I heard someone say once - if you ever get attacked by a bear when all you have is a handgun - wait until it's about to eat you, then shove your arm in its mouth and start firing. And pray you do enough damage to chase it off before you lose your arm.

              That said, you pissing them off is pretty much the only way you'll have a problem - bears, mountain lions, rattle snakes, etc. all know better than to tangle with humans if they can avoid it. I've run into all of them in the woods and never had a problem. I've heard a young, hungry mountain lion will occasionally attack a human, but you mostly have to be stupid enough to walk underneath it first, in which case you'll likely be dead before you can draw your weapon anyway. A pack of wolves are pretty much the only thing that might hunt you intentionally, and mostly only if you're already in trouble - they're not stupid either.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 13 2018, @06:55PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 13 2018, @06:55PM (#706737)

            there's no such thing as an "assault rifle", you propagandist.

            • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Saturday July 14 2018, @12:51PM

              by Immerman (3985) on Saturday July 14 2018, @12:51PM (#707068)

              Oh? And what would you call the fully automatic short-barrel rifles typically given to military ground troops around the world?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 13 2018, @04:27PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 13 2018, @04:27PM (#706682)

          Why do they need to know your race?

          Lots of people aren't even sure. Are they supposed to use the "one drop rule" like the slave states used?

          GET OVER IT.

  • (Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Friday July 13 2018, @02:43PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday July 13 2018, @02:43PM (#706638) Journal

    I was really concerned about our ability to procure enough guns.

    Your post gave me an Ah Ha moment of inspiration.

    We will never be allowed to have 3D printers that print metal. The NRA will never allow 3D metal printers. The NRA does not represent citizens, nor does it represent citizens interests. It represents gun manufacturers and ONLY gun manufacturers interests while masquerading as protecting citizens rights.

    Public Service Message: The NRA wants you to know that drinking and firearms do not go together! Take turns shooting. The person who's turn it is to shoot should not be drinking. Someone else in the group should hold their drink for them.

    --
    Satin worshipers are obsessed with high thread counts because they have so many daemons.