The challenges of regulating 3-D-printed guns

A U.S. District Court will soon decide if it will lift a temporary restraining order barring publication of plans for making 3-D-printed guns, a move that could allow the plans to be published online. Regardless of the decision, it has long been legal in the United States for individuals who are not prohibited from owning firearms to craft a homemade gun for personal use.

The combination of tools and technical skills needed to produce a working firearm are not typical for most people, but 3-D printers could put that ability more easily within reach.

The technology still has many limitations for creating completely reliable weapons, but some of the designs that have already been made public, combined with some of the unique qualities of 3-D-printing, have raised concerns. Those concerns include the ability to evade security systems with weapons made of plastic, the potential to bypass background checks and the general safety of using 3-D-printed guns.

Some guns do work but are less than effective as a weapon

One of the first 3-D-printable firearms to be made widely available is the “Liberator,” designed by Cody Wilson of Defense Distributed, which was originally released in April 2013. The handgun is constructed almost completely from 3-D-printed plastic parts.

The only metal parts include a nail used as a firing pin and a 3.7-ounce block of steel, which the design instructions require to comply with the federal Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988; however, the weapon does not need the metal cube to function. It is also loaded with just a single bullet at a time, a relatively low-powered .380 ACP round.

The “Liberator” has proven to be functional but not very practical: A recent Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives video showed one of the two sample guns it created exploding during testing.

Printing select gun components could be a bigger concern

Critical parts for more powerful weapons such as AR-15-style rifles can be produced using 3-D printing. An AR-15’s lower receiver is the only part of the gun that has a serial number, and the only part that requires a background check to purchase. The 3-D-printing of the lower receiver creates an untraceable gun.

The AR-15 is a highly customizable weapon, and all the other necessary parts to build a working rifle can be purchased without a background check.

The ammunition used for an AR-15 also is more powerful than what a pistol like the “Liberator” shoots. Magazine capacity can vary from five to 30 rounds, depending on what is legally permissible in a person’s jurisdiction.

DESKTOP 3-D-PRINTERS SOLD

Worldwide estimate

600

thousand

400

200

0

2013

2015

2017

Source: Wohlers Associates

The quality of material used by most 3-D-printers is not durable enough to reliably handle the enormous stresses a firearm must endure. The 3-D-printers that fabricate with metal do exist but are expensive. The technology is evolving, however, and new materials could make stronger fabrications. And the growth of the 3-D-printer market could make the technology cheaper, more commonplace and spur more innovation.