Police investigating the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, have announced that the suspected assailant had used a 3D-printed gun. Several high-profile crimes in recent years have involved this kind of homemade, or partially homemade, weapon.
So we should care about these… why? Seriously, a shitty gun is not hard to come by in this country and serial numbers on guns do fuck all because theres no system in place to track them. Why do these really shitty guns suddenly matter?
My best guess is the materials. Last I looked into them they were entirely 3D printed except for a roofing nail to act as the firing pin. The drastic reduction in metal makes them easier to sneak passed metal detectors. Other than that, you seem right on the nose.
That was like the very first 3d printed gun. The ones that you can make now are pretty wild. This doc is 3 years old now, and well, advancements have been made.
I’ve come across some 3d printed gun content over the last couple weeks (who knows why) and while mostly plastic designs like the liberator exist, most of the development in that area seems to use a lot of metal parts. Generally they’re using metal barrels and actions with 3d printed stocks and frames.
(who knows why)
The algorithm is foreshadowing /s
This is accurate I’d add there’s a distinction to be made between designs that use parts intended as firearms parts (e.g. Glock 19 barrel) and those that use only off the shelf repurposed hardware parts (e.g. ordinary pipe that has been given rifling via electro-chemical machining).
Read it again, but slower.
3D printed ghost guns are easier to get passed metal detectors.
Because 3D printed guns are extremely effective at skirting current firearms regulations. There are designs out there that are mostly 3D-printed but use a few metal components that are easily made otherwise or modified, like a pipe that’s reprocessed into a usable barrel. They can be made completely untraceably by anyone with a few commonly available tools. Hence the name “ghost guns”. If your area has something like an assault weapons ban or a license requirement, ghost guns make them irrelevant.
The only way to effectively regulate them would be to target 3D printers themselves, and that’s far from a perfect solution. Making everyone with a 3D printer become a licensed gunsmith would be insane. Just as bad would be mandatory content scans for file sharing sites similar to what’s available for CSAM. New York has resorted to just arresting anyone they find out has a homemade firearm.