Mar 7, 2017 | By Julia
A Florida Senator is pushing to ramp up legislation for 3D printed guns. Senator Bill Nelson announced this past Monday that he has filed legislation with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, which would make it tougher to get 3D printed plastic firearms through security screenings.
This isn’t the first time the American legislators have cracked down on the threat of 3D printed guns. Back in 2013, Congress passed a specialized legislation that requires firearms to incorporate metal components. The theory was that metal part would make the guns easier to detect by metal detectors and security screenings, improving public safety in secured areas.
But there was a key loophole, initially overlooked by lawmakers: the 2013 legislative measure did not encompass whether a firearm’s metal components could be detachable or not. This critical oversight meant that potential firearm wielders could still remove any metal components before passing through security screenings, thus bringing 3D printed guns to secure areas without technically breaking the law.
Senator Bill Nelson
Now, Nelson’s new legislation would require all guns to feature a centralized metal component in the frame or barrel -- manufacturing a firearm (3D printed or otherwise) solely from plastic materials would be illegal.
“Thanks to advances in technology, anyone with a 3-D printer can simply print a fully-functioning firearm that can be snuck through a metal detector without being noticed,” Nelson told press.
“Congress acted in 2013 to ban these guns, but a loophole in the law allows people to attach a removable piece of metal to get around that law. These guns pose a real threat to our safety and we need to be doing everything we can to keep them off the streets and out of the hands of those who wish to do harm.”
The new legislation, which can be viewed in its entirety here, is the third time that Nelson and Schumer have attempted to advance this type of motion. After their original initiative in 2013, the two US politicians tried once more in 2015, with unsatisfactory results.
the 3D printed gun seized at Reno-Tahoe International Airport
While actual documented cases of 3D printed gun seizures are not as pervasive, at least for the moment, as Nelson and Schumer intuit, both lawmakers have cited a specific incident back in August at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. There, TSA agents found and confiscated a plastic gun from a passenger’s carry-on bag during standard security screenings. The gun, which was constructed using a 3D printed, was found loaded with five live .22 caliber bullets.
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Anyone want to bet that the TSA found the bullets first, not the 3D printed "gun"? Seriously, this is all a moot point until the ammunition is undetectable. Our hypocritical hoplophobic senators with their security details and private transportation are not doing anyone any favors here. If you want less crime, stop infringing on the Second Amendment.
Eric Spidell wrote at 3/12/2017 10:02:46 PM:
Looking at this "FireArm" one can easily see that this would not be able to hold up to even one shot. The cylinder would almost certainly shatter on the first attempt. with the round not being propelled due to the lack of compression behind it all you have is a metal firecracker that would send small shards in all directions. This is a poor attempt at once more limiting our freedoms due to idiots trying to make a gun that would in all probability hurt the wielder more than any intended targets.
Dean Weingarten wrote at 3/9/2017 12:49:15 AM:
A quick search on the Internets shows the Reno gun was a non-firing replica, as I suspected.
Dean Weingarten wrote at 3/9/2017 12:38:10 AM:
Just another way to stifle freedom and innovation. The "pistol" shown almost certainly was not functional. This is all scare tactics to push otherwise silly legislation. It will only stop people who are willing to follow the law. Let us see video of testing the so-called gun, while it is fired with the ammunition it had in the plastic cylinder. Nelson needs to go in 2018. The election cannot come soon enough.
Matthew Scott wrote at 3/8/2017 4:25:33 AM:
Actually including a sturdy barrel in the structure would also make it safer for repeated fire as each bullet would tear through the plastic barrel. That's why the Liberator was designed with a removable barrel. Reinforcing the frame would keep the gun from falling apart as easily due to shock from discharge. The original design called for a metal block that was designed to be relatively detectable and in no way functional. These suggested law changes are there to protect the people making the weapons just as much as trying to protect others from having them used on them.
boyd workman wrote at 3/8/2017 3:54:00 AM:
another beady eyed liberal traitor gun phob I wrote the book on advanced 3d printed guns jackass like bill just make me develop even more advanced weapons I now have several modes of the most advanced 3d printed ar15 ,folding glock hand guns and large bore ordnance launchers that cant be stopped by any low life commie bastard look my name up on u tube
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