Although the development of the 3D printing technology is highly acclaimed for the spectacular opportunities that it brings in such various domains, there is one area that remains commonly agreed as controversial, by all parts. Since the first proposal of banning such guns came along, plastic-printed firearms have been largely developed by the market, from one-shot pistols to rifles and multi-shot revolvers.
Should these guns be banned because they are impossible to keep track of? Are they a real danger, especially since they are so difficult to produce? Is it normal to act in this respect just as in any other’s legal or illegal gun?
Some of the last year’s highlights are just dots on a white board, waiting to be connected. The case of Japan sending a student to jail last year was indeed highly publicized. Hence the outburst of the public opinion and the media. So, the‘Ghost Gun’ bill was recently adopted, but it remains unknown, how they are going to implement such a law. And the two main shipping services, FedEx and UPS agreed to willingly refuse shipping machines to some of the well known 3D printers used for making guns.
How will the dot connection be made, now? It looks like a real decision could finally be made this year as the Washington commission is considering a renewed version of the 2013 Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act.
“When I started talking about the issue of completely plastic firearms, I was told the idea of a plastic gun is science-fiction. That science-fiction is now a dangerous reality.” underlined Israel, in an interview for wired.uk However, it is still unclear how he will change the 2013 bill –since this bill solely discussed the issue of undetectable weapons. The only possible solution we can now think of is declaring that those pure plastic guns cannot be legally fired anymore.
This could create serious controversy among the public, especially since gun control advocates, might adopt a more nuanced position. Chances are, as always that this too will be placed under a legal interdiction, creating a black market for it and some more black money and the adjacent violence – American style. Just like the alcohol prohibition and the war on drugs, we can expect for the next generation to die over some plastic made firearms that are illegal to make and use and therefore smuggled across the border, in the next decade.