14 DAY TRIAL // In a rather predictable sort of irony, guns were among the first things to be 3D printed with consumer-grade 3D printers. It's been about two years since the first such gun was revealed, and it looks like making more will soon be illegal.
Guns have always been the subject of controversy, although things did seem to quiet down for a while after it was made mandatory to have a permit for them.
Not that everyone got one, or that criminals were ever going to pay attention to those regulations. But there were some guidelines that the common man had to follow.
Permits only regulated what guns people could buy, though, or could be sold. They didn't cover 3D printed firearms that anyone could make at home.
Thus, 3D printed guns are something along the lines of a limbo dimension on the firearm “market,” and one that has been causing a lot of controversy.
The state of California was among the first where the issue of legality was raised. Mostly because unless someone deliberately forced a 3D model to rely on metal triggers, or some other part of the gun, the objects were undetectable by metal detectors.
It meant you could take them with you on an airplane, for example. Obviously, no one took well to that, especially with 9/11 still fresh in the minds of many.
Still, as much as some people want 3D printed guns banned, there are some who advocate against this measure, saying that it's just evidence that the government wants total control over what citizens can do in their own homes.
So as California Senator Keven De Leon introduced the Senate Bill 808 last year (to make it a crime to 3D print “ghost guns” unless one gets approval from the California Department of Justice), California Assemblyman Tim Donnelly has been arguing against the law.
The bill was debated on the Senate Floor last week, but Tim Donnelly didn't manage to obtain the Senate's majority support, even after he pointed out that absolutely no people were killed with 3D printed guns yet (except for a woman on the fictional TV show “Elementary,” which doesn't count).
Now, the bill has reached the desk of Governor Jerry Brown, who has the final say on whether or not the bill will become law. Signs suggest it will pass, like a similar law passed (or at least was proposed) in Australia.
So if you live in California and want to make a gun for your household, you'll need a permit. Also, you'll have to engrave a serial number on the thing, even though it will probably break down after 5 or 6 shots. Alas.