re: #33 Blind Frog Belly White

What I think people are afraid of is not the people will be able to 3D print a plastic zip gun. They’re afraid that someone will be able to 3D print something more like a real, working, multishot firearm - the mythical 3D-printed AR15.

I don’t think that’s a realistic worry, for the reasons I mention above.

In some ways, it reminds me of the discussion of invisibility in HHGG - it takes so much energy and expense to make something like a space ship invisible that it ends up making more sense to just not build the ship in the first place. In this case, it would be such a chore to try and 3D-print a working gun that it’d be cheaper to just buy a gun. In the US, anyway.

AR15s off of a home 3d printer with plastic filament? No

But there are other types of 3D printers that build up and sinter metal powder for industrial use (and are very expensive); people with access to those, I’d be worried about.