Darknet paper, the 3D printed gun edition

[anotherone]

@anon62122146

I certainly wouldn’t want to be the one to put this to the test, but I’m surprised someone hasn’t done it already.

I think the legal test of that concept has already happened. Not too long ago after a big increase in taxes on cigarettes but not tobacco in general, people setup stores that sold tubes and tobacco and you could rent time on a machine that would make those in to cigarettes. The courts found that this was little more than selling cigarettes with extra steps. I think that legal principle would apply to guns or anything else for that matter. Eventually federal regulation was created to clarify that you would need a manufacturers license to operate a cigarette making machine for public sales.

[Mister44]

@anon62122146

Then people will sell 75% receivers.

When it comes to CNC, every block of aluminum is a potential AR receiver.

@anon62122146

That’s actually an interesting thought. Could you have a shop with a CNC mill and files to make a receiver, and then just sell someone a block of metal, and tool time on your mill, and have them push the button, all without an FFL?

I believe the answer is “no”.

Man who used CNC mill to make untraceable guns sentenced to 41 months

Now maybe if the person paid for the time on the CNC machine and built the files it would be them making the gun. Just like if you rented a milling machine and did it in your garage.

But really, I am not sure why people would go through the added expense to do this unless they actually had CAD skills and wanted to make something custom looking or just for the fun of making. You can get milled and anodized forged receivers for $35-50 bucks. You can get the billet machined ones for $80-100.

@anon62122146

And then sell them the barrel and all the other parts that aren’t regulated, of course, and let them assemble it in your shop, with your guidance, but without you touching it.

There are classes you can take to buy all your parts and then learn on how to assemble them. In fact there are some well known classes for putting together your 1911, which if you hand fit parts will give you a lot better accuracy. But usually you just buy/bring your stripped frame which you already bought new from an FFL.

[asdasdetc]

@agraham999

We can simply equate this discussion to “it’s just data/information” and talk about how if we keep this from being readily available it will find its way to the dark web…but that doesn’t mean just because that might happen, we have no responsibility here.

This argument is moot since this and enough information on homemade guns, explosives, poisons etc. to satisfy anyone is already available on various non-Darknet sites (probably in addition to Darknet sites). Just search on Pirate bay. It’s not if this information will be available, but what to do now that it is (and will be till end of time).

[douglas_stuart]

@Skeptic

The plastic printed guns don’t really matter that much- they are really just glorified zip guns.

My folks were freaking out about this. Then I explained to my Dad (who may or may not have in the days of his yout’ in Brooklyn made (or had his friends make) a zip gun out of a car antenna), that this was basically zip gun that took hours to make and significant layout in cash. They got that reference.

[armozel]

I believe VICE had an article on these workshops. Some are obviously cartel owned and others are just regular metal milling/stamping shops that do all kinds of work but do the receiver construction as a side project (extra cash is better than none).