3D Printing Anarchists... Slightly ahead of ripping off GW.

[DarkLink]

I wonder if Sen. Yee realizes that metal detectors can still detect bullets?

No my reasoning is that if owning is supposed to make you safer but the opposite happens when women own a gun something is very wrong,

I have to agree that you're misconstruing the danger. How many of those women were murdered with their own firearm? Probably not very many. Frankly, a better choice of boyfriend would have been a much more relevant judgement call than the decision to own, or live in a residence with, a firearm. If you can't trust your significant other with your safety around firearms, you should probably find another significant other. Not to say that there isn't a risk of negligent discharges or the like, but owning a car is far, far, far, far more dangerous than owning a firearm. Whether you feel you can handle a firearm safely enough, or that your need for self defense is great enough, is an individual judgement call. Handwaving individual circumstances with broad generalizations isn't the best way to approach this.

[Kirsten]

the feeling of safety a gun gives is only an illusion though, you are far, far more likely to injure yourself or a family member with a gun than you are to ever use it in self defence.

[DeadPanda]

Personally think the biggest danger is these 3D printed guns could be more dangerous to the owners than any potential victim (if used for criminal purpose). They look so fragile.
If I were so inclined to use a gun for some nefarious cause, I think I would prefer a more proven make and model with more than one shot. Something a bit more reliable and didn't look like Lego.

[DarkLink]

the feeling of safety a gun gives is only an illusion though, you are far, far more likely to injure yourself or a family member with a gun than you are to ever use it in self defence.

You're somewhat more likely to injure yourself than injure another person. You're more likely to scare off a thug without firing a shot than you are to injure yourself, though. There are maybe 15-16,000 gun related emergency room visits each year. Though it's difficult to get accurate estimates for the number of times a firearms is used in self defense, the low estimates are ten times that number, and just like most other crimes those numbers are underreported. The US Center For Disease Control did a survey in 1994 that put that number at [URL="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9591354"]498,000[/URL] (95% CI=266,000-729000). In case you can't do the math, that's 31 cases of self defense for every personal injury.

In fact, maybe you should buy a gun and just never buy ammo. You can still scare off most criminals, but it would take a miracle to shoot yourself. Of course, you're more likely to slip and fall off a ladder and break something than you are to shoot yourself in the first place, but whatever. Either way, don't toss around misleading facts.

[scadugenga]

Well, the government decided to take control of DEFCAD.org (the site where the plans were hosted). From their site:

This file has been removed from public access at the request of the US Department of Defense Trade Controls. Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information.

The interesting note--is that while the government was quick to respond to this particular website--other websites, that teach you how to make explosive devices out of household materials, are still up and running quite nicely.

Personally, I think the whole thing is getting blown way out of proportion. The 3d printers cost thousands of dollars. For that money, buy a damned Sig. Or AR. Or something that isn't likely to cause self injury at some point.

Hell, you could go to Home Depot and buy the materials to make yourself a zip gun for just about what you would spend at Starbucks.

Edit: What also raises an eyebrow--is that there's nothing wrong or illegal about owning the plans to make a gun--it's the actual weapon that may be an issue. Sounds like a violation of the 1st Amendment to me, and more appropriately, an abuse of government power that they really don't have.

And anyways, the plans are already over the internet (torrent sites, etc.). The Box was opened, taking down one site will not somehow turn back time...

[Wolfshade]

the feeling of safety a gun gives is only an illusion though

Yup, two people with guns pointing at each other is just as safe as two people threatening each other without any form of weaponry...

I suggest everyone should read [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Trigger-Arthur-C-Clarke/dp/0006483836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368171587&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Trigger+clarke"]The Trigger[/URL], quick only 1p on Amazon!

But the big issue is that knowledge cannot and does not want to be kept hidden away, once it is discovered it wants to be free!

Look at the various nuclear programmes around the world, they all testify to this.

[Necron2.0]

Australia is ideal for scorched earth policy, you wouldn't need a large army. Special forces and burninating all the things and you'll be fine*.


*Albeit burninated.

Sorry. Been sick so I've not been able to keep up with this. Just wanted to pay homage to something.



TROGDOR!!!!


Ok, sorry. Carry on.

[eldargal]

I have to agree that you're misconstruing the danger. How many of those women were murdered with their own firearm? Probably not very many. Frankly, a better choice of boyfriend would have been a much more relevant judgement call than the decision to own, or live in a residence with, a firearm. If you can't trust your significant other with your safety around firearms, you should probably find another significant other. Not to say that there isn't a risk of negligent discharges or the like, but owning a car is far, far, far, far more dangerous than owning a firearm. Whether you feel you can handle a firearm safely enough, or that your need for self defense is great enough, is an individual judgement call. Handwaving individual circumstances with broad generalizations isn't the best way to approach this.

All irrelevant, having a gun is supposed to make them safer, it does not. Therefore the statement that owning a gun makes you safer is wrong.

[Mr Mystery]

Dragging us back to the topic....

I think that within the US, this isn't such a great shake. Better guns are available (seemingly) quite freely, and the culture there is well adapted to that.

But, consider us here in the UK. We have as much of a nutter problem as any western country. But not the guns. Majority of firearms offences here involve non-functional replicas. This however could change all that. We're not 'gun mature' here. They aren't part of our culture. Vast majority of Brits don't feel the need for a gun, mostly because we're exceptionally unlikely to encounter one. But now? Definite cause for concern. And all caused by a single tosser who felt he knows best....

[Denzark]

MM - non-functional replica is a bit oxymoronic - replicas or de-acs converted or restored to full functionality would be more accurate - and I wasn't aware that formed the lion's share of firearms offences, although I concede it is prevalent.