Trump tweets skepticism about 3D-printed guns. But his administration cleared the way

[Benton]

(07-31-2018, 04:42 PM)Au165 Wrote: I can mass produce these guns though with precision vs your hardware store example which will offer low quality and most likely be far more time consuming and hard to replicate. These guns are relatively reliable reportedly with designs that will only get better the more people tinker with them. For the cost of $200 I can get a 3D printer capable of making these guns and then each additional gun after that is $25 in materials. You don't think organized crime members aren't interested in cheap untraceable guns that they can carry into any "secure" facility in the U.S.? Why do we have background checks if we are going to allow this since any nut with a 3D printer can just make his own gun?

It literally undermines having any of our current gun laws as non of them are enforceable if this is allowed to go on.

Maybe, I dunno. I did a few stories on them when this was a hotter topic as the Gigabot and the renewal of the 88 Act were pretty close together in a calendar year. Maybe in the last 4-5 years they've improved, but most of the people I spoke with who had constructed one, gunsmiths, engineers, etc., all said the same thing: use it only if you really want a face full of plastic shrapnel.  I'm sure they will get to the point where you can make a plastic weapon at home and use it reliably. But we aren't there yet. If we were, traditional gun manufacturers — looking to cut cost — would already be doing it.

As to the background checks, they're largely ineffective as I can sell you a gun out of my trunk in most states. Cash. Also, I don't think most states prohibit you making your own firearm. From the ATF:

Quote:No, a license is not required to make a firearm solely for personal use. However, a license is required to manufacture firearms for sale or distribution. The law prohibits a person from assembling a non–sporting semiautomatic rifle or shotgun from 10 or more imported parts, as well as firearms that cannot be detected by metal detectors or x–ray machines. In addition, the making of an NFA firearm requires a tax payment and advance approval by ATF. 

[18 U.S.C. 922(o), (p) and ®; 26 U.S.C. 5822; 27 CFR 478.39, 479.62 and 479.105]

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/does-individual-need-license-make-firearm-personal-use