As a miniature wargamer, the 3D printing business is one that I find interesting because it is inevitably the future of the industry. I might be another 15+ years before they’re commonplace and of a reasonable level of quality for consumers, but they definitely have plenty of practical applications that make them very desirable. However, recent news has revealed how this technology can be abused in frightening ways: 3D printers can be used to manufacture firearms. Just think about it for a second – in the future, gun control is going to be very difficult to enforce, because anyone can download the schematics for a handgun, assault rifle, machine gun, etc and build their own arsenal at home. Predictably, there are people who are dedicated to this cause already in the name of the Second Amendment, and have actually been able to build a functioning assault rifle with it.
Even if you’re an American who is a proponent of the Second Amendment, you’re just one country with a small percentage of the global population. These guns are undetectable by metal detectors. The schematics for these are now available worldwide, and all you’ll need is a high-quality 3D printer. That might be a tall order at the moment, but in 15+ years, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the norm in the household. The point is though that most nations have strict gun control laws, and by pushing the Second Amendment on the world, you’re threatening those controls (not that they care of course).
I’m still very excited for 3D printing technology, but the people who insist on using it to make weapons are showing the dangerous potential it holds. Regulation is going to have to become more strict and intrusive if there’s going to be any hope of preventing illegal ownership of weapons, terrorist actions and mass murder…
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Well my only happy thought from this is that manufacturing bullets is a completely different matter!
Good point, perhaps the manufacture of ammunition should be better regulated in the future… although making bullets isn't that difficult either unfortunately… :/