3 ms·

> The reality is that this is here to stay. The FGC-9 is not a joke, it's a powerful weapon that's impossible to effectively regulate. Look, people in the 1940

> The reality is that this is here to stay. The FGC-9 is not a joke, it's a powerful weapon that's impossible to effectively regulate. Look, people in the 1940s were able to manufacture effective submachine guns while living in countries occupied by Nazi Germany. If it was doable with the tools available then and under the constant threat of armed soldiers legally ransacking your home or business without warning or warrant, it is doable today and in any conceivable future. There is nothing particularly novel about the threat scenarios caused by ghost guns. The only thing that is novel is the reduced cost of obtaining an illegal gun. Nobody's sitting around going "hmmm, I used to be a law abiding citizen, but now that I can 3D print an illegal gun instead of buying it, I will use it to go out and do crimes".

CSSer 5y ago
Probably more likely that they’re going, “Hmm, I’ve got that 3D printer gathering dust, and I don’t really ask too many questions. Maybe I could print some and make a little side money?”
- semi-extrinsic 5y ago
  If your thinking is "yes, I'll make money by selling firearms (components) to people looking for a cheap untraceable gun", then you've basically decided you're comfortable with the risk of being found guilty of accessory to murder, in order to make a couple hundred bucks. Because of course "untraceable" doesn't mean the person you sold the gun to can't tell the police who made it, for instance in a plea bargain. That alone puts such business far, far outside the comfort zone of any normal 3D printing hobbyist.
mping 5y ago
Sure, people could write books before the printed press, but guess what? You lower the barrier to entry and stuff happens. If the LAPD declares it an epidemic, isn't that good reason to be at least slightly alarmed?
- semi-extrinsic 5y ago
  Come now, are you really arguing that criminals in the US have a hard time acquiring illegal firearms? Under that hypothesis, shouldn't 3D printed firearms be a much larger problem in countries where access to firearms is much more restricted than the US?

CSSer 5y ago

Probably more likely that they’re going, “Hmm, I’ve got that 3D printer gathering dust, and I don’t really ask too many questions. Maybe I could print some and make a little side money?”

semi-extrinsic 5y ago
If your thinking is "yes, I'll make money by selling firearms (components) to people looking for a cheap untraceable gun", then you've basically decided you're comfortable with the risk of being found guilty of accessory to murder, in order to make a couple hundred bucks. Because of course "untraceable" doesn't mean the person you sold the gun to can't tell the police who made it, for instance in a plea bargain. That alone puts such business far, far outside the comfort zone of any normal 3D printing hobbyist.

mping 5y ago

Sure, people could write books before the printed press, but guess what? You lower the barrier to entry and stuff happens. If the LAPD declares it an epidemic, isn't that good reason to be at least slightly alarmed?

semi-extrinsic 5y ago
Come now, are you really arguing that criminals in the US have a hard time acquiring illegal firearms? Under that hypothesis, shouldn't 3D printed firearms be a much larger problem in countries where access to firearms is much more restricted than the US?