Gun Control, Star Trek, and the Future

Laugh and be skeptical if you wish, folks…but the future is already here.

The first workable 3-D Firearms are being produced, and the Company that first produced them is not only perfecting what can be produced; the blueprints are being released on-line as we speak. It is not a stretch to believe that eventually plastics will be replaced with other composites…or that the Technology will eventually get to the point that more and more inorganic (and organic) items can be replicated.

Of course; AG’s are trying to stop the release…but this is a Technological Advance that will not be stopped any more than eventual Human Cloning will be…and as I see it, the idea of “Gun Control” will be relic of ancient Politics.

People smirked at the idea of a communicator that could contact a ship thousands of miles in orbit…but no one is smirking now, as all kinds of data besides “Beam me Up Scotty” can now be transmitted thousands of miles via Smartphones in seconds…

Again…the Future is here folks…and will not be stopped by any of us…

What say 'ye?

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3-D printed firearms have been around for a while, the majority of the early models were single shot, as they would practically blow up after a single usage, however it only takes one shot to end a life therefore these weapons could still get the job done. With more sophisticated 3-D printing technology legitimate firearms are now being printed out. The only way I can see this being halted is if the blueprints are restricted, or commercial 3-D printers are encoded and don’t allow consumers to print weapons. Either way it’s scary as hell to think what would happen if a bunch of Australian kids 3-D printed out guns, the majority haven’t even fired a gun before… and there’s some really bad kids here. Either way I can’t see gun crime going up considering the ridiculously harsh penalties that will accompany those caught with unregistered firearms and even worse for those who actually shoot someone, even in self defence.

Thanks, @unreal24278…great post!

Some points:

  1. Based in what you posted; the Technology already is advancing, correct?

  2. I’m afraid that Technological Advances always have outpaced the legal, moral and ethical complications of that Technology. The proverbial “Genie is out of the Bag”…and how we deal with the ramifications will just have to catch up.

(Again…great post! The ramifications of Technological Advancement are always very real…)

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Yes, technology for 3D printing is advancing… and fast (although technology in general is advancing at a very rapid rate). As to technological Advances outpacing legal, moral and ethical complications, that can be said about all technology. The invention of computers that we know and love today has allowed many people to do things we were once unable to do such as email, google docs, social networking, online advertising etc. However with the development of computers came the development of a very large online black market that gave people access to drugs, guns, sex trafficking, child pornography and other things that they otherwise wouldn’t have had access to. What we can be comfortable about though is that thankfully the majority of the populace doesn’t indulge in such activities, therefore it isn’t as if the progression of technology is going to make the majority of people print out unlisenced, undetectable firearms and start shooting.

The only thing I worry about is how this could impact terrorism, the addition of undetectable firearms (non metal firearms won’t be detected through the machines one goes through at the airport) and ammunition for the once single shot pistol has ammo that is available now allowing the gun to fire up to 14 times before breaking. If one could pass through an airport with one of these firearms (which is very plausible) it worries me that a very devastating plane hijacking could occur, this is just my worries though, I’m not trying to rile anyone up.

image This is the first 3D printed firearm “the liberator” it is 8 inches in length and therefore could very easily be concealed on a person… scary shit if this is made into a proper semi automatic, undetectable weapon

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Opened thread to figure out where @mufasa was selling unregistered 3D printed guns. Am disappoint.

In all seriousness, so what?

Firearms exist. Gun control is not particularly effective. Note the towns with the most gun control in the US also have the most murders.

Humans exist and some humans are homicidal idiots who will use whatever tools are necessary.

The 3D printing thing changes neither of these two conditions. At least for now those guns are less effective. Even if they reach parity with normal guns it won’t be an issue from a normal criminal perspective. Would you rather buy a $50k-$100k printer or a $200 used glock out of a trunk? Most violent criminals are functionally illiterate anyways, so that’s a low risk.

Now for arming rebels and nation toppling… imagine if the Contras could have “printed” artillery pieces or body armor or battle rifles. That gets scary real quick. Imagine if ISIS or a drug cartel just started printing. That’d get ugly.

3D printing in metal is already a thing BTW. I used to work for a company that made the raw materials. Space-X, GE and all the fancy guys are already using it. The Chinese navy has 3D printers on board their ships. If they need a replacement part, they print it on board.

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@Basement_Gainz

Good points.

Some thoughts.

  1. As you know; technological advances bring two things a) greater and greater simplicity of both manufacturing and use (in general) and b) reduction on price. (in general).

  2. True…“gun control” is a Liberal Fantasy, and elevates the blood pressure of Conservatives…but the point I am making is that Technological advancement will eventually make it a footnote in history.

So what? The Technology and its ramifications are worth the discussion, IMO.

  1. Terrorism is a very real concern with this Technology, @unreal24278…so if anybody is riled up…they need to be. I would imagine that the easily concealable and detectable semi-auto is not far off.

The “flip” side…the “good” side…is that there stands to be advances that are only limited by man’s imagination. From that first firearm can come the Food Replication of “Star Trek” or processes that we haven’t even thought of.

I was going to ask about cost but someone mentioned that. As far as airport detection, they have machines that detect gunpowder and chemicals used in bomb making. Dogs can sniff gunpowder. They can sniff the individual chemicals in gunpowder as well as explosives.

The food replicator would probably be more dangerous to our health than guns.

LOL!

Cool idea, though, @zecarlo !

We will be able to clone both an army and their arms!
image

I want a laser gun! I don’t even care if it doesn’t make that cool laser sound. I’ll just do that myself.

Pzeeow! Pzeeow!

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Now @Sloth…you KNOW that Storm Troopers can’t hit the broad side of a Death Star at point-blank range!

Concerning human cloning…the feeling is that the actual research is moving forward exponentially. Needless to say, it is being done as discreetly as possible because of the shit-storm it is bound to cause…

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We already have too many humans at 7 Billion. What do we need cloning for? Can you imagine the NFL after 2 or 3 generations of genetic engineering?

Well, since we’re an aging population with a below replacement fertility rate, we could clone ourselves to work and pay for our old age entitlements.

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Could we tweek them so they develop without the ability to kneel?

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This is much ado about nothing. You can make an AK-47 from a garden shovel with minimal tools. Instructions here:

A trip to Home Depot and I could make any number of IEDs, firearms, and even some nasty WMD if the particular Home Depot has pool chemical section.

Heck, the seminal books on the issue are available on Amazon, authored by the United States government:

You can’t un-ring a bell.

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Gunsmith, machinists, farmers, cooks, surrogate mothers?

Who else is out of a job in the future?

We’re inching closer and closer to altered carbon every year

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Eh, I don’t know. Technology will do to us what it has always done. Be unpredictable in it’s effects. We should be moving around in flying cars and living in gravitationally uninhibited apartments in the sky. We should be able to commute from NY to Paris in 30 minutes and have machines that brush our teeth, do our hair, wash us and our clothes without any effort from us.
At least that’s what I thought in the '80’s touring the ‘Tommorowland’ exhibit at Disney World right after riding Space Mountain.
Well, they were wrong. We don’t have flying cars. As a matter of fact, if you can get somewhere in 8 hours or less by car it’s probably better and easier than flying. You can spend more time in security than on the flight. And getting in a 3D printed gun? I couldn’t get past TSA with a receipt in my pocket.
They said take everything out our pockets, I thought I did. I didn’t feel the receipt, but their ‘naked person’ scanner found it. And they were dicks about it and I don’t look like a terrorist, at least I don’t think I do.

Instead of flying cars what has actually happened via technology? Mass communication. Information overload. Who needs instructions when you have Youtube?
We can call each other ‘assholes’ all the way across the globe from the comfort of our own couches. Which we can and do frequently.

Just because we can, doesn’t mean we will. 3D printed guns don’t scare me because I can shoot back with a real gun. There are over 300 million guns in the U.S., we don’t have a supply issue with firearms. There is much easier way’s to get guns than printing them.
I do appreciate the engineering it takes though and I am glad people try this stuff. It takes some serious gray matter to do that type of thing. I don’t consider it a major threat at all.
The path of least resistance is still a real gun.

We don’t need to worry about the weapons that we use to kill each other with. We’ve mastered that shit. We have to master the desire to kill each other and find a way to live peacefully with each other. That’s where we need to advance the most.

Yet…and maybe not in the near future…

But it is Techonolgy worth watching, @pat and @thefourthruffian

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