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The Techcrunch piece links to the original article[1], which provides more information. Rep. Steve Israel is a gun control crusader from way back, as is the Con

The Techcrunch piece links to the original article[1], which provides more information. Rep. Steve Israel is a gun control crusader from way back, as is the Connecticut delegation and a few others. But the ban he proposes, obviously, won't stop anyone from printing a weapon and smuggling it onto a flight; it's just more so-called security theater, intended to assuage the anti-gun segment of the electorate and reassure air travelers that they are still going to be safe. In my opinion, the only true way to ensure air security is to arm the pilots and plant more armed Air Marshals on flights. Banning particular types of objects from being 3-D printed seems like an exercise in futility at best, and instills a false sense of security at worst. 1. http://thehill.com/regulation/legislation/244319-dems-move-to-ban-plastic-guns http://thehill.com/regulation/legislation/244319-dems-move-t...

CapitalistCartr 11y ago
We haven't had a successful hijacking since 9/11, in spite of the TSA being grossly incompetent and ineffectual. The terrorists aren't chomping at the bit. The current system of aware passengers, Air Marshals, and reinforced doors is doing the job. Mostly the passengers. We need regulation of 3-D printers like we need regulation of flower arrangers. Bureaucracy, the fear that somewhere someone is doing something without permission.
- hga 11y ago
  We haven't had a really successful hijacking since the passengers on Flight 93 heard what was happened with the other 3 and realized the rules of the game had been changed. As others have noted, this has to rate as one of the shortest effective periods for a terrorist gambit, only a couple of hours.
- blisterpeanuts 11y ago
  Agreed. I believe there are two major threats to air safety, neither of which has been sufficiently addressed. 1. crazy pilot scenario - as illustrated recently by Germanwings Flight 9525. All we can do is make sure one pilot can't lock out the other pilot, and screen more carefully for mental illness. There's no room for political correctness and fairness in this picture; someone with depression and suicidal tendencies, as this 9525 pilot was known to have, should never be in the cockpit, period full stop. 2. Stinger scenario - one man with a shoulder launched anti-aircraft weapon could take down a jet liner. The world is flooded with these weapons and it's just a matter of time. Someone tried to take down an Israeli passenger jet in Sinai a few years ago, but fortunately missed. It seems unlikely in the U.S. but think of the thousands of airports all over the Middle East, Africa, central Asia, etc. It's bound to happen sooner or later, unfortunately. The only solution is to install defensive systems on jets, an expensive necessity in today's world.

CapitalistCartr 11y ago

We haven't had a successful hijacking since 9/11, in spite of the TSA being grossly incompetent and ineffectual. The terrorists aren't chomping at the bit. The current system of aware passengers, Air Marshals, and reinforced doors is doing the job. Mostly the passengers. We need regulation of 3-D printers like we need regulation of flower arrangers. Bureaucracy, the fear that somewhere someone is doing something without permission.

hga 11y ago
We haven't had a really successful hijacking since the passengers on Flight 93 heard what was happened with the other 3 and realized the rules of the game had been changed. As others have noted, this has to rate as one of the shortest effective periods for a terrorist gambit, only a couple of hours.
blisterpeanuts 11y ago
Agreed. I believe there are two major threats to air safety, neither of which has been sufficiently addressed. 1. crazy pilot scenario - as illustrated recently by Germanwings Flight 9525. All we can do is make sure one pilot can't lock out the other pilot, and screen more carefully for mental illness. There's no room for political correctness and fairness in this picture; someone with depression and suicidal tendencies, as this 9525 pilot was known to have, should never be in the cockpit, period full stop. 2. Stinger scenario - one man with a shoulder launched anti-aircraft weapon could take down a jet liner. The world is flooded with these weapons and it's just a matter of time. Someone tried to take down an Israeli passenger jet in Sinai a few years ago, but fortunately missed. It seems unlikely in the U.S. but think of the thousands of airports all over the Middle East, Africa, central Asia, etc. It's bound to happen sooner or later, unfortunately. The only solution is to install defensive systems on jets, an expensive necessity in today's world.