This is really bad advice. DEFCAD is a paid service that requires a fucking FFL to download files, but this is not made clear at the time of purchase. The gatalog is a much better resource for anyone new to the scene.
Can't stop the signal.
They actually are open source, and there is indeed a lot of material out there to help people with everything they need to build their own. The only part that is illegal to make on your own is the part with a serial number on it, for tracking purposes.
The only part that is illegal to make on your own is the part with a serial number on it, for tracking purposes.
Perhaps that is the case elsewhere, but to point out that in the US, it is legal on the Federal level to make your own complete firearm for personal use. Assuming no state specific laws prohibit it, it is by default legal. ATF FAQ page. If you are not an FFL holder, and are not going to sell the firearm it does not need any serial number. All NFA restrictions still apply to homemade firearms.
The practice of legally homemaking firearms pre-dates 3D printing, with 80% AR-15 lowers being a modern and widespread example.
Technically, you're supposed to give it a serial number and register it with a local FFL. Giving it a serial number (or NOT giving it a serial number) on your own would run afoul of many new 'ghost gun' laws that have been put in place. This is obviously, dependent on location. At the US-federal level, so long as you don't plan on selling it I don't think it is required.
Wrong again. I've provided a source with links to all applicable legislation on the subject matter on a per-state basis. These rules do exist in some jurisdictions.
They further require that dealers and manufacturers of ghost gun building blocks must be federally licensed.
The problem here is "ghost guns" is a nonsense word anti-gunners made up with no actual definition, much like "assault weapons". Most often it refers to simply guns without serial numbers, which the media and government use to manipulate the public into thinking a bunch of people are being murdered with 3D-printed firearms instead of firearms with the SN scratched off. It's far easier to simply buy one off the shelf at Academy or at your favorite local black market.
"Building blocks" are more commonly referred to as "80% lowers" and are not 3D-printed plastic, but blocks of CNC-machined aluminum. Yes, the White House is trying to make it illegal to own unregistered chunks of aluminum.
Further, 3D-printed lowers are manufactured by individuals, not sold by dealers or manufacturers.
It's kind of wild to realize that some states are trying to outlaw owning blocks of steel that have zero machining operations on them because benchtop CNC exists. I don't even know how they think that this is going to work; make every single machine and tool and die shop have an FFL in order to own a Bridgeport?
This is a fundamental problem with gun control; the tools that are used to make firearms--and to make ammunition components--are widely available, and have many uses outside of making firearms. Most people don't make their own guns because it's more expensive if that's all you're doing, unless that's your business.
I think what you and the other commenter are having friction with is that on your first comment declaring that it is "technically required" you did not specify that it was state by state, and the vagueness gave the impression it was a statement applying nationwide.
Now you are showing a link talking about state-by-state legislation, which is a more restricted and nuanced reframing of the original statement. Beyond that, your link seems to show 39 states do allow homemade firearms with no additional state laws, making that the majority. While declaring the rules one way or the other for the whole nation would be incorrect, saying that they are allowed is less incorrect since the majority of states do allow them.
This may be true for some specific US states, but declaring it wholesale true in the US is wrong. From the ATF FAQ on homemade firearms:
You do not have to add a serial number or register the [privately manufactured firearm] if you are not engaged in the business of making firearms for livelihood or profit.
If you weren't jumping on your replies like some addicted meth head, you'd notice that I added some additional clarification about 20 seconds after I initially posted. But I guess 20 seconds is too much for people to wait before they check their inbox.
Yeah you think. They've come a long way since Cody Wilson's proof of concept dubbed "The Liberator." Check out the 3011 or Hoffman lowers, or the FGC9 "Bob" rest JSTARK's soul.
For those you need to look at DIY channels, not 3D printing. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if gun nuts were all "Ewwww, gauss guns? Where's the explosion? More like GIRLY GUNS, amirite?"
i can see that, but 3d printer plastic necessarily has to have a much lower melting point no?
im sorry if this is dumb, im not a big gun connoisseur, isnt it very easy to manufacture the metal casing anyway? and im also assuming you would need to make the lead thing too.
I’m not looped into any possible home attempts to make DIY casings, but I would presume you’d need to do some problem solving with the material. It just seems like the most plausible angle to work on to me. The point of thermal issues is relevant, not just in the material standing up to heat but also for cooling the gun itself. It’s imagine that successful DIY printed casing would be more feasible with single shot or bolt action type firearms.
With traditional home reloading, no people normally don’t produce their own casings. You can buy them, or you can reuse already fired casings.
It depends on the level of 3d printer you're talking about. Your average $300 at-home printer is basically the hot end of a glue gun on stepper motors, though you might be surprised at some of the materials they're capable of printing in. Everything from basic ABS plastics to Nylon and Carbon-Fiber reinforced filaments are easily available.
If you're talking commercial grade, $10k+ printers, that's an entirely different story. Commercial printers are capable of printing objects out of steel. There's been a lot of work in that area to print all kinds of things from guns parts in military grade polymers to entire engine blocks, no assembly required.
On the 3d printed gun end, supposedly people have figured out the issues to the point where you can print 100% of the parts out of super basic plastic (the most commonly used plastic in 3d printing is PLA, which has a melting point around 200 degrees Celsius), though the stuff I've seen online is more about using internals from cheap guns and 3d printing the external "furniture" of the gun either for custom cosmetics or aftermarket parts like handles and grips, or to create an expensive gun out of cheaper components. As for the ammo, I've only heard that "people were working on it." I don't know any of the specifics.
I couldn't tell you myself, I think it's crazy too, but NATO trialed caseless ammo during the Cold War, and if that's possible, I don't see why plastic ammo (at least cases) couldn't be.
Though you sure as hell won't see me jumping in line to try it out.
Caseless is an entirely different branch of innovation than polymer cases, but both have been shown to work.
There are multiple examples, but one that sprang to mind was the Textron NGSW submission, if you want to see what was being floated to the military recently.
No need for a 3D printer to make your own ammo, when there are reloading presses already designed for that that will make reliable and safe ammo much more easily. People also make their own lead bullets from tire weights and fishing weights, just by melting it in a crucible and pouring lead into molds
If I had to guess, the two most likely reasons are: for the challenge of it, and to reduce the amount of required tools.
I feel like the people who work on 3d printed guns largely fall into 2 camps - the people who just like to build things, and the people who look at a 3d printer as a valuable tool in the whole "become ungovernable" concept.
I know the second group are responsible for designing a fully 3d printed gun that's currently being used to fight against a genocidal military regime in Myanmar, for example. The people there are getting zero international aid, and can't get their hands on guns. But, they can get ammo, and they can get 3d printers. So they've set up 3d printer assembly lines to make guns that are at least good enough to kill a soldier and take his gun. It was designed for exactly that kind of situation - basically the Liberator one-shot pistol the CIA designed to be air-dropped into occupied France during WW2, except as a modern semi-auto SMG chambered in 9mm.
Crazy, I saw a lot in the shotgun realm for 3d printing slugs and shot and sabot shells, but nothing else yet. I'll have to do some digging. Honestly moving away from lead sounds great to me.
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