The First Entirely 3D-Printed Gun Is Here

[FarCenter]

Defense Distributed, a group focused on making easily printable weapons, has succeed.

It made a handgun using a 3D-printer, according to Andy Greenberg at Forbes, who was given early access to the process.

Defense Distributed calls its gun the "Liberator."

The gun is made of sixteen pieces each of which was "printed with a Stratasys Dimension SST printer in ABS plastic, with the exception of a single nail that’s used as a firing pin," Greenberg reports. (That just means it was printed with plastic, and a nail was added.)

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-first-entirely-3d-printed-gun-is-here-2013-5

More like a traditional zip gun than a Glock.

[dkf]

1. Whoa, it needs a metal piece inserted so metal detectors will see it...

Defense Distributed also inserts a strip of metal into the gun to make sure metal detectors pick it up.
But, as Greenberg points out the people that print out the design might not be inclined to put metal strips in their guns, thus making them much harder to detect.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-first-entirely-3d-printed-gun-is-here-2013-5#ixzz2SEiYKXFz

[Bandit]

24. You don't think the ammo could be detected?

a gun is no good without ammo

[MineralMan]

2. And there you go.

Not very durable, but it will fire a few rounds before needing replacement. Inaccurate, no doubt, but close-up, that won't matter.

So, they're going to distribute the files that let anyone print a copy. Wonderful...

[galileoreloaded]

5. creative intelligence cant be regulated

so it would behoove us to play nice.

[geek tragedy]

21. Sure it can. Just ban all plastic guns. Make it a crime of 10 years in prison to manufacture one nt

[galileoreloaded]

25. or ceramic, or glass, or carbon fiber or.........

we either grow past our biological humanity or we all kill each other. just life. don't be so scared.

[tridim]

6. So sending an MP3 to a friend is against the law and subject to massive fines and imprisonment..

But sending a death machine file to a potential terrorist is not.

Makes perfect sense.. If you're insane.

[justanidea]

3. Surely this must have a metal barrel or sleeve of some sort?

Id imagine even the heat from just .22 rounds would destroy a plastic barrel after 2 or 3 shots.

[MineralMan]

7. Look at the thickness of that very short barrel.

It will only last a few shots, but this is a single-shot weapon, and is basically a throwaway, one-time weapon. The barrel is strong enough and short enough not to be destroyed by the pressure of the cartridge when it is fired. Accuracy will be terrible, but that's beside the point. It's designed to be used in a close situation.

It is an assassin's firearm, and that is all it is good for.

If ever used, it is unlikely that it will be reloaded anyhow.

[FarCenter]

13. There is probably no rifling (at least after the first shot) so that would be a problem

[MineralMan]

27. Why would that be a problem.

Accuracy is not the point of the design of that weapon. With a 1" long barrel, it's not even an issue. The pistol is designed to be fired at very close range. No rifling is required for that purpose. You are missing the point of the weapon. It's not designed for durability or accuracy. It is designed to wound or kill someone at point blank range.

Just like any homebrew zip gun. No zip gun has a rifled barrel.

[FarCenter]

9. I don't think it is designed to be durable -- it is more in the line of a disposable weapon

You might be able to use a piece from carbon fiber golf club shaft as a tube to improve durability of the barrel, while still being non-metallic and non-magnetic.

[surrealAmerican]

4. How could that possibly be safe?

Wouldn't the plastic melt and fail to protect the person who fires the thing?

[tridim]

8. Doesn't matter.

They want their untraceable plastic death machines no matter what. It's their right!!!!!1111

This isn't about safety, it's about crazy people worshiping lethal tools.

[baldguy]

10. And the biggest users will be terrorists & criminals.

The people who design this & champion its distribution this are at the same level as producers of child porn, and should be treated as such by society.

[DanTex]

11. Wait, wait, but the gun nuts always say that plastic guns are technologically impossible,

and the whole idea was invented by liberals as an excuse to ban something?

[justanidea]

16. Well to be fair, back in 1988 when the law banning them was passed,

It was impossible.

Even now, it kind of still is. I mean sure you could make a gun that can fire maybe 3 shots before falling apart but thats not much of a gun.

[DanTex]

17. When it was banned, some companies had announced that they had the materials

science available to be able to do so. So congress banned them. Which is the right time to ban them: before any are actually manufactured. Otherwise the gun nuts will stockpile them and the NRA will claim that there's no point in banning them because they are already out there.

Also, if you can 3D print a gun that can fire 3 shots, surely with an an actual factory and access to modern materials technology, you can build a much better one.

[actslikeacarrot]

12. I am by no means a gun hater...

...but I have an issue with this. To me, when you make a decision to purchase a gun you are making a commitment to owning a weapon and everything that goes with it. Sattfe handling, proper storage, weapon safety rules and the whole nine yards. My two issues with is is criminals could have access to guns that were made to throw away, and idiots who shouldn't be around a butter knife thinking "I'm bored I think I will print off a gun this weekend and screw around." And the technology is only going to get better. Am I overreacting? Maybe, but I don't think so.

[FarCenter]

14. People have been making zip guns for years -- just google for how-to videos

And making pretty good guns is a matter of having access to some steel and a machine shop. The difficult part is rifling the barrel, but if you are happy with a smoothbore or have a barrel from an old weapon...

Guns are centuries old technology, and many modern one were designed to be made quickly, in high volume, by untrained people using fairly simple machine tools. For example, the AK-47.

[actslikeacarrot]

15. I know about zip guns...

...and I'm not even worried about this gun right now, I am more concerned with what it will be in a few years. This think looks like a toy or a crappy scanner you would see at the supermarket. I just hope the creater decides not to put the CAD files out there for anyone to use.

[Shankapotomus]

18. Soon as one of these is used

in a mass killing or gets past a metal detector at an airport and is used to hijack a plane, that should rachet up the gun debate to a fever pitch.

[Historic NY]

19. Junk guns, we gave then out during WWII use once and its done...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FP-45_Liberator

The real fun is when it blows up in your hand.....fun times.

[geek tragedy]

20. Will the NRA host the CAD files on it website? nt

[hunter]

22. Poisoned blow darts would probably work better if you really wanted to kill someone.

These 3D-Printed guns are just another fetish object for the gun worshipers.

Little do they know a 3D-printed bobblehead Jesus is more powerful than any gun.

When God is on your side, you win!

[IDemo]

23. ABS plastic? Not exactly the most durable material

Needless to say, these guns won't be handed down from one generation to the next (except maybe as a LOL item).

[ZombieHorde]

26. Interesting.

This way be much more interesting five to ten years from now.

[Quantess]

28. Freaky. (no text)