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Gun Control? - How To "3D-Print" A Semi-Automatic Rifle
As the furor over gun control fades from the front pages - and therefore from politicians need to actively participate en masse - it appears there is a rather large loophole that could change things considerably. As this clip shows, Cody R Wilson, a 25 year old University of Texas Law student, has figured out how to print a semi-automatic rifle from the comfort of his own home. Wilson is an advocate for the open source production of firearms using 3D printing technology and it is forcing the US legal system to catch up and control this new technology. From the constitution to the legal system and from the manufacture and test-firing of 3D-printed gun, this clip is intriguing to say the least.
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rapidfireaim
i thought he'd only figured out how to print the larger clip (see white piece in pic) as there is not yet strong enough composites than can accurately print the barrel to withstand the forces of accurately and safely firing a bullet.
So he might be able to print a gun but the barrel can't be printed from what I've been told
If only we could print courage, knowledge, honesty, love, time, and compassion.
Please print one in full auto for me ;-)
Not unless you first invent a time machine that can go pre-1986, when Shrub Sr. closed the Register to new additions...
Or elect a President who with the stroke of an auto-pen demands that the National Firearms Registry be opened to new manufactures/conversions.
Disarmament is a prelude to genocide!
Try this on for size...
http://www.infowars.com/april-fools-day-joke-feds-seize-3-d-printed-gun-website/
DaddyO
Cody Wilson is really fun to listen to. He has been interviewed by Glenn Beck and Alex Jones. Very smart kid, who knows exactly how important this work is. Ben prints fiat currency with his computer, Cody prints lead delivery systems with his.
BTW that looks pretty real at his website, looks like Big Brother is putting the boot on Cody's head.
Jackboots of the digital variety!?!
DaddyO
Really cool guns & ammo website run by robots:
http://gunbot.net/
Great tool. Gives you a very clear idea at any given time what the current market price is for various calibers. Ammo at "below market" prices gets cleared within hours, sometimes even minutes.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
It appears that the down arrow bot has come through and marked all of us...
DaddyO
Indeed. Waaa, waaa! It hurts so much! Make it stop!
Google 'defcad mirror' to take a deeper look.
Who needs a 3-D printer? A good CNC machine can produce an AR-15 lower from aluminum billet with virtually no human intervention required.
In California, a lot of gun clubs have "CNC parties" where they rent a CNC machine for a night and everyone makes their own AR-15 lower. You are given an instruction sheet on which buttons to push on the CNC machine, and voila, you have just made your own AR-15. The ATF has no jurisdiction on any non-NFA firearm that you manufacture yourself for personal use.
Finally, a party I would look forward to going to.
Disclaimer: State laws may vary. Consult your state and local firearms laws/regulations to find out if making your own gun is right for you.
"The ATF has no jurisdiction on any non-NFA firearm that you manufacture yourself for personal use."
Unfortunately, California does:
California Penal Code section 30600(a).
Punishable by up to 8 years.
30600(a) applies to assault weapons and .50 BMG rifles. It does not apply to lower receivers. A lower receiver is not an assault weapon under California law.
Thanks to all above for the updates. This is more than a little overblown. No serious shooter defines his ammo clip as his "gun." That's an artifact of some really strange regulation.
the price of the 3d printing is declining 20% a year - you can build them out of semiconductor lasers. the cost of a cnc machine is increasing 5-10% (made up but directionally correct). In 10 years the economics will be vastly different
no ar15 was used at sandy hook.
Bingo. The coroner who handled the Newtown shooting has quietly resigned. You may have missed that story in the news. Oh wait I forgot, there was no way you could have read that-- because it wasn't reported.
Scuttlebutt in western CT is, he was told to lie, and resigned because he couldn't live with that.
Scuttlebutt in western CT is, he was told to lie, and resigned because he couldn't live with that.
Buckaroo,
What do you mean that he was told to lie?
Sorry that I am not up on all the nuances on Newtown.
Thank you!
Sandy Hook conspiracy theories videos. (I doubt them but they're out there)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrngdgUixYg&bpctr=1364844336
"..that can go pre-1986, when Shrub Sr. closed the Register to new additions"
That would be Bonzo.
Shrub sr. wasn't innaugurated Until Jan 1989.
Also, for reference, it was the Hughe(sp?) amendment, signed by Bonzo on May 19th, 1986.
Register still open for SBRs, SBSs, & suppressors
My bad- Shrub was the import ban, three huge binders of ATF reference letters sometimes render my few brain cells which don't have focus avoiding federal entrapment forgetful as to which fascist masqerading as a conservative was responsible for which headache...
If only bankers had to comply with the same level of crap government oversight gun owners do, or face the same penalties...
Or it could be the holiday feldschlössen...
Wrong link, sorry. Here is the correct link:
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-01-24/will-you-pay-kid-read-12-books-your-selection
These should be the absolute prerequisites for owning a gun. Humanity as an attitude was there before guns and governments, and it will be there after them too. This is what I missed in Cody's talks, no sign of that anywhere, and therefore no transference of hope. But we are so far from our human nature that we might employ a government agency to measure these things, which would be worse than a hot day in hell.
Humanity as an attitude before guns and government!!??
NOT! Humans have been slaying each other even before swords, bows, spears and rocks!
They used bones! Watch the beginning of 2001 Space Odyssey.
You mean it is so, because you saw it in the movies? What depth!
If only we could print courage, knowledge, honesty, love, time, and compassion.
We can't print them yet, but we can ferment, distill and drink them.
It is already in print, it is called God's word...
Yer a fucking childhood brainwashing victim.
.
prains
That is my understanding as well.
But, I presume the technology will advance rapidly, Once we can 3-D print them, then "Molon Labe" will become moot. Molon Labe my Printer!
Printing isn't the only issue... it also needs to be durable enough to withstand combat conditions. There are plenty of polymer lowers on the market... handguards, triggers, accessories... hell, even back up sights. But for the "working" parts of virtually any gun, you'll want something a little more robust.
That said, these can serve as limited fire weapons (i.e. <10 shots)... and practically be distributed everywhere...
For 1-time use, I think it's OK. wink wink
3D printing has some limitations. Mainly that the material used has to be some form of plastic that will harden after it's applied. But I suppose in theory you can use some form of micro welder to build on layers of melted metal.
Powdered brass
Right now they use a urethane to bind it. But use a laser to melt it on as it's appllied and yea, maybe.
The materials science just needs to catch up to the idea. Give it time.
"3D printing has some limitations."
Exactly.
Wake me up when you can 'print' barrels and bolts.
While currently, the ATF and most states regulate 'firearms' by regulating the receiver; they could easily get around 'printed' receivers by simply banning ALL firearms components (including barrels, bolts, trigger sears, etc...
It's called selective laser sintering. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_laser_sintering
Been out there for a while.
why isn't this more commonplace? Are the input materials prohibitively expensive?
The device uses a high power laser to melt metal powder. That is the expensive part--there's no getting around that expense absent a radical advance in laser technology.
IIRC, the device goes for a minimum of US$300,000. Don't know about the cost of the material.
A workable 3d printer for metal world utilize a powdered metal with flux applied in a misted form, and several lasers mounted on several axis, so as to apply triangulated heat, each laser given full mobility.
Either that or develop a mini computerised tig set up. The key issues however revolve around controlling applied amperage in relation to work heat, also necessary issues to be addressed involving dig, and flow angles. there is a reason why people still pay my hands to weld, because electrically short circuiting metal together is difficult, and has innumerable factors which often times evade description even by the most experienced.
You would be better off going cnc right now, but i have faith that this process can be achieved.
He just needs to be able to print the lower for the AR. The lower is the part of the firearm that is licensed. He can they buy a complete upper that would have the barrel.
Have you attempted to buy a complete upper or even a barrel lately? They are not to be found.
The craze is easing lately... starting to be more ammo deals, magazine deals, and even upper deals... hell, PSA has been pumping out lowers and even BCG... I haven't seen a freaking deal on a BCG in forever... got lucky before the craze and score a BCM BCG... so far, no a single ftf fte or other hiccup in a hundred rounds... another 400 and it will be declared gtg.
Yeah, but unless it's an AR-15 upper manufactured by LMT; I'm not interested.
[Lucky I got my LMT's years ago and take good care of them...]
mil spec is mil spec as far as I'm concerned... there are a LOT of really good rigs out there, LMT included... that said, there is a lot of shit too, but even it is probably OK for range use.
I think you used the most abbreviations I have ever seen in a single post.
That is exactly true.
Only clip designs have been put out in the public realm. The plastics involved are perfectly fine for holding bullets (you still have to buy the spring for the clips) and other parts. The minute you need to fire that bullet, the barrel and firing mechanism have to be metal. There are no composites currently available for the 3-D printers that can withstand the forces involved.
I'd be more interested in holding complete cartridges, the bullets are only one component...
or magazines instead of clips...
Moon rings!!!
If the Feds can print money debasing your wealth, then you should be able to print weapons in order to defend yours...
Lower receivers have been printed. That is what the ATF considers the "gun" to be regulated. All of the other parts can be obtained without a license. That's why the uproar in some circles. Obviously you can't "print" a barrel, bolt, bolt carrier, etc. A woman told me the other day it was possible to print an entire gun. When I explained why that was not possible, she seemed more than a little skeptical, and gave me the "your one of those" looks. The progressive media loves to misrepresent this kind of thing to stir the pot. They, and many of their viewers continue to be willfully ignorant of the facts. It isn't in the script I guess.
Albert:
You print the barrel, then sleeve it.
Sleeve it with what? You might do this for an air rifles or a .22, and maybe with some single-use, single-shot rifle, but that's about it. The pressures involved in centerfire cartridges are too great to be fooling around like that. I suppose technology might be at the level where you could print a metal barrel for a .25 or .380 caliber pistol, maybe. I wouldn't fire it...
centerfire rifle chamber pressures approach, and some exceed, 50,000 psi. If the barrel isn't made of carbon steel I aint shooting it. There is a huge supply of barrel billets sitting in junkyards all over America, camshafts will work just fine.
that's not the point. the barrel isn't what's restricted under most firearms act.
the barrel is just a high tensile pice of steel with some fancy rifling, after all.
what's restricted is the receiver, firing pin bolt assembly and loading mechanism.
Barrels, hand guards, and stocks are not regulated nor do they require registration.
Lowers are regulated and require registration. Recent laws focus on magazines as well but at the state level.
Thus he only needs to make a lower and a magazine, you can buy off the internet every other piece without trouble (if you can find them).
Agree the only components that could be made are passive items, frame, grip, butt etc. The barrel and bolt carrier etc would still have to be machined from metal. Hand guns might be easier to make.
He can print the magazine & lower recever @ present he's working on the barrell he was on Alex Jones couple weeks ago. he said the whole enchalada is a few months off, but will happen.
He may not be able to print a barrel yet, but you can make one of those with a lathe which can then be assembled into parts you can print.
And he's a supporter of bitcoin, so I'm sure we'll see some of his wares for sale in BTC soon. I'd love to see what they'll do once they get a metallic powder printer. Then all bets are off - working with quality stock and no casting defects.
DDD
TONERS READY!!!!!
FIRE!!!!!!
I'm seriously thinking about trying to get my neighbor or friend, to buy one of these 3D printers so that I can try it out for free & piggyback to see if it actually works as advertised across the spectrum of real life useful trinkets...
~~~
Can those 3-D printers printers print you up some bitcoins?... No ~ I guess not...
I guess that's the BITCOINERS master plan...
- Buy 100 bitcoins at $5 bucks & watch as they vault in price to $100
- Buy a couple of 3-D printers with the $10,000
- Start their RED DAWN army & stick it to the man wearing white outfits from the Colorado wilderness [nourished by frozen hotpockets cooked over a campfire (which ~ of course, the BAD GUYS never see)]
~~~
Why didn't I think of that?... IT'S SADLY TRUE [everything they say about francis_sawyer]... I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about...
hot - pockets!
At this point, the printer would probably be much better suited for creating a giant veiny dildo or spork... but AR lowers... not so much.
Doh! Paper Jam!
I like the evil music part.
Try this one for pure evil music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr04ZZemCWA
Something tells me he may have just been arrested....
http://www.infowars.com/april-fools-day-joke-feds-seize-3-d-printed-gun-...
Please tell me you didn't really fall for that
@ Redpill: I'm not so sure it's a joke, sorry to say:
http://defensedistributed.com/
Saw "April Fools" in the link name, so I just figured. If true, it sure didn't take them long.
DHS: Buys 1.6 BILLION rounds for "training" - no problem!
Man demonstrates capability of 3D printing: Assets seized, terrorist!
I wonder when they will figure out to 3-D print ammunition...
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Actually, it's probably pretty easy to print bullets, but you would still need primers, cases and black powder.
Just like tax evasion was the downfall of Al Capone, "Copyright Infringement" will put an end to his scheme. Fucker probably had a copy of DeCSS and was busily decrypting Bambi.
The archive is still there.
http://web.archive.org/web/20130317181411/http://defensedistributed.com/
Yep, but it's dated April 2nd.
http://gunwatch.blogspot.ca/2013/04/breaking-defense-distributed-website...
"Breaking: Defense Distributed website seized, Cody Wilson arrested on conspiracy charges!
Unknown details at this time. Defense Distributed website now displays the logos of Department of Justice and Homeland Security Investigations, and the following information:
This domain name associated with the website DefenseDistributed.com or Defcad.org has been seized pursuant to an order issued by a U.S. District Court."
I watched the whole Vice doc a few days ago - pretty cool, if a bit unpractical, not to mention demeaning & degrading with respect to U.S. Constitution.
Oh, well - if the peasant wants, but can not get a firearm any other way, I suppose that is how a peasant acts in the face of the King.
Fake. Look at the DNS for the setup, it's a joke. Milking the free PR, as DHS knows you can have all the large clips you want, you just can't buy ammo to fill them.
To bad you can't print bullets...
Damn! And I was just about to scan in a full mag!
Yes, but you invent any sort of lethal mechanism, and manufacture it under the radar to industrial spec. To me, thats the kicker.
It could basically reduce the demand of imported cheap goods, and at the same time I could make myself a SWEEEET crossbow.
cf. asymmetrical warfare
.
There is nothing inherently difficult about making metallic cartridges. The technology is over 100 years old, it is more about having access to the raw materials. Smokeless powders have become pretty high-tech, but could be re-created. The dangerous compounds needed for making primers is where the difficulty lies. But since people make meth and all kinds of other awful shit, I don't see why making primers would really pose any problem except for obtaining the chemicals in large enough quantities. The cases are stamped out of brass rod. The bullets, at their simplest are cast lead alloys. People are even making their owned copper-jacketed bullets. It is not that horribly difficult.
There are plenty of polymer tipped bullets on the market... I guess you COULD print bullets, but I'm not sure there would be any way of telling where the hell they would go when you shot them...
Printed cases? Not so much...
Oh please. What about all those little metal things like oh say
the bolt?? The firing pin?? And that long metal thingy called a chrome lined
rhight hand twist barrel????
Duh.
You can buy all those without a license.
Good catch!
Yeah, the accuracy must be stunning after say...100rds.
LMAO. I was just going to say that nylon or whatever reciever must
flex like hell and then blow up in his face.
...and after a long day at the range the barrel converts to a long handle for ease of carry...if you don't shoot yourself in the foot first...lol.
The receiver of an AR-15 is not a stressed part. It doesn't even get hot under heavy fire. The heat is all in the barrel, just ahead of the chamber, until it gets really hot, and you shouldn't beat on them like that, anyways.
Not true! The recoil loads go through the receiver to the stock.
This is why you want a milled receiver versus a stamped one on
your next AK.
How often do stamped AKs fail? What is the average lifespan? Maybe 50,000 rounds? The damn afghanis are fighting with stamped guns that are 50+ years old...
That said, +1 for the SLR 101... at cheaper than $1k for a new production, bulgarian milled gun, it's the best deal out there.
I didn't say they fail. I agree with you . But watch a slo motion video of a stamped
reciever AK firing and it flexes a lot. The point being the recievers do take considerable
recoil loads and that's why a milled reciver is better. Like a VZ-58 or Sig 556 (am I being too
snobby??)
Also, given the proliferation of stamped guns, it's harder to find some parts for milled guns... but, in the end, a stamped gun would do just fine and I'm not sure there is a practical difference between the two... snobby, yes, but if your life depends on it, then you get to be snobby...
I dare say you would have no face after one round.
Fairly simple machined parts, some of which have to be hardened. Any decent machinist can re-create that stuff, or simplified versions of it (think AR-18, AKM).
If it were only so easy. But a nice thought none the less.
Damn Texans! Grabbing all that physical gold and wanting to set up their own Gold Bullion Bank as if they don't have any of that "Trust and Faith" thing..... and now this!
What's next?
Ermahgerd! Terrrrists!
See, you guys think the Bernank is all about printing currency. What he's really doing is warming up for the endgame. The print master will have the last laugh.
If you go to the website http://defensedistributed.com/ the feds have grabbed it. Probably looted his bitcoins also.
Benny virtual printers Vs. 3D
Hes jealous, Im sure.
Benny and the FED are busy buying up all the gold colored ABS 3D printing material. Put the plastic ones in the back, and the tungsten filled bars up front, ok now take some pictures and send them to the Germans.
Where do I get the file to print it?
Coming to a Silk Road near you.
Notice, http://www.defcad.org has been seized by DOJ / DHS.
" is forcing the US legal system to catch up and control this new technology.".
That didn't take them very long, now did it? And they could sieze the exchanges and disappear BitCoin just as easily....
FWIW -- down in the comments on this one, there are some speculations about why this is being considered as likely to be an Apr Fools joke rather than a real takedown.
http://ftp.dailypaul.com/280303/april-fools-go-to-cody-wilsons-defcadorg...
Not sure yet what I think...
Notice what you get if you go the .COM version of that domain:
http://www.defcad.com/
gonna 3d print a phazer....fuck ur toy gunz
not puttin it on stun neither
Good! More ammo for the rest of us!
But let us know how it goes anyway cause we're notgoing to get any ammo anytime soon.
Use the printer to produce rail gun darts for the win!
I'll print a cup of earl grey tea, whilst saying, "Earl Grey. Hot."
So no due process of law? No rights, nothing...Hes automatically guilty and will have to prove himself innocent.
They always have to trash these stories with some stupidity about a nut who shot someone as if it adds some kind of balance or they are afraid not to. How about adding that we would have won at the Alamo with these instead next time?
April Fools’ Day Joke? Feds Seize 3-D Printed Gun Website
http://tiny.cc/mrivuw
A while back, P.A. Luty released plans for a fully automatic weapon made out of box section steel you can get in any DIY place.
You need some simple metalworking skills to make it but nothing beyond what you'd get in high school and the tools required are again, DIY level. There's a video on Youtube of someone making it, so at least 1 exists in the wild. 3D printing a gun might be marginally easier but if you're motivated then it's already possible.
That's pretty much the point of AK-47's - it doesn't require high tech machine tools to crank them out - they require about the same high school level of expertise. Um - from the days when high schools used to have things like metal shop class instead of homosexual and transgender sensitivity touchy-feely classes...
Um, not quite. AKM was the simplified AK, but it still required an arsenal to produce them.
As I recall, there weren't many of the milled receiver type 2/3 AKs manufactured. The ubiquitous type 4 (or AKM ) is pretty much what everyone except collectors consider to be an "AK". The only precision part is the barrel - everything else can be cranked out in an 'average" machine shop that can cut and grind steel and heat treat the resulting parts. Doing barrels requires a reasonably good lathe.
Or.. A really good forge and mandrel. It ain't easy either.
Saw a film where knuckle draggers in the mountains of Pakistan were making them by hand, no power, hand cranked lathe and files. Had a whole production line working from templates, couldn't believe my eyes...
Or print this:
http://www.quarterbore.com/nfa/lightninglink.html
But first, study this:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/922
And imagine this:
http://streetganglife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/prison_cell.jpg
No, it seems it's not illegal unless you are a "manufacturer". Where manufacturer is defined as someone who's manufacturing firearms for sale or distribution.
Specifically:
(a) It shall be unlawful
(1) for any person—
(A) except a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer, to engage in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms
So for personal use, it's legal (In the USA) to manufacture firearms; no license required. Whether any particular produced firearm is then legal or not I have no idea.
Great technology. Do you think that Bernanke can use it to print jobs? Do you think Obama can use it to print himself a spine? Do you think that Cheney can use it to print himself a conscience? Do you think that Bush can use it to print himself a brain?
Personally, I think 3D is tremendous technology but like fire it is going to misused for quite a long time.
Instead of asking what would it take to print an AR-15, a better question would be: What does it take to replicate a simpler firearms such as a Sten or Greasegun? Those things were designed for mass production with shitty supplies and an untrained workforce. And while going to battle with a Sten MKIII must have totally sucked, it was sure as hell better than going into battle with nothing and hoping to pick up a dropped rifle.
Bingo... this guy is an asshat. Reminds me of Alex Jones just trying to make a show...
It's as if there is this desperate need to reinvent the wheel...
Metal parts? For that there is SLS and SLM
I fear the US is raising up a brand new crop of mass murderers. Sure, a gun is a tool. So what? So is an electric chair or nuclear explosive.
Get back to me when we reach the level of Pot Pol, or Lenin....
Some would say a statement like that came from a "tool" ...
fuck yeah!
This fascination with guns in the USA is nothing more than a statement of how the Americans view their future.
Fascination?? Just what do you think was used to found and create this nation
we now live in?? Duh.
What else would you expect from someone that calls him/herself "Peter Pan"?
What was used to found and create this nation?
Principles which have now been forgotten.
In any case, the comment was not meant as a put down but rather a statement of the fear that people must be feeling about their future.
Yeah, everyone knows that when the redcoats went to seize the principles stored at Concord it roused the local militia to such a fury they gave the British troops a stern talking to and rhetorical drubbing, thus launching the American Revolution when the British troops fell back to Boston lashed all the way by rebellious tongues. Indeed, some historians argue that the sentiments presented in such articulate fashion by rebels at Lexington caused the British troops to fear well aimed adverbs for the rest of their lives.
Damn good thing they didn't just shoot 'em like knuckle dragging Neanderthals, who knows what terrible things might have happened. Luckily entrenched power only yields to soaring oratory and not heavily armed extremists or the voluntary transfer of power from Crown to Republic would not have occured as seamlessly and painlessly as it did.
wish I could give you more than one up arrow for that one,, great laugh
As I'm an IT idgit, a 3D printer is on my want list. I not only want the ability to create plastic parts for repair, I want the ability to make items that I can then sand cast from aluminum(or ?) based on the printed template. There is quite a bit being done on this using a 3D scanner made from basic components, CAD software, and 3D printers. With a basic milling setup you could make quite a few things you might not be able to find so easily in the coming years.