printing 3-d guns

[Ben]

Wilson visited the ATF field office in Austin on Monday to ask about the legal and regulatory issues surrounding the Wiki Weapons project, he tells Danger Room. Instead, he was brought into a room, questioned and was told the agency was preparing to visit his apartment this afternoon for an “investigation,” he says.

"Which is what happens when you call the Feds..."

[AJ Dual]

Frankly, I see this as a sign of SUCCESS.

THE FUTURE (insert 1950's Theramin music here) is a scary place for teh Fedz.

Good. 

[Perd Hapley]

I'm not sure I can blame the company for at least wanting some time to look at the legalities before they end up tangling with the ATF

[AZRedhawk44]

I'm not sure I can blame the company for at least wanting some time to look at the legalities before they end up tangling with the ATF

Who wants to bet the ATF leaned on the equipment rental company to put a kaibash on this, via the private rental contract?

[dogmush]

Does the company not offer the printers for outright sale?

How much does anyone want to bet the lawyers are even now modifing the lease agreement with a "do not print weapons" clause?

[Harold Tuttle]

http://www.3ders.org/articles/20120120-stratasys-uprint-se-3d-printer-got-$1-million-order-from-department-of-defense.html

The uPrint SE and SE Plus 3D printers are the replacement of the original uPrint and uPrint Plus and has been packaged with price starting at USD $15,900.

Stratasys uPrint SE 3D printer? ---$15,900
downloading printfiles to make a gun? ---free
using the government "STARBASE youth program" to print a gun? ---priceless

[RevDisk]

Who wants to bet the ATF leaned on the equipment rental company to put a kaibash on this, via the private rental contract?

Yep.

Granted, the company is probably freaking out. Because their lawyers probably explained it is entirely legal. At the moment. So there is no way to stop it. But they are worried about reputation and what it will do for future laws and regulations. They don't want to have to deal with gun control type regulation nightmares. At the moment, there are essentially no regs on making 3D printers.

[Harold Tuttle]

A presentation by the company’s Direct Digital Manufacturing Group dated to January 2010 also determined that the company’s main “selling focus will be to the Aerospace and Defense Markets,” and discussed building closer ties to the military and defense industry at various Defense Department, Army and Navy expos, including an “unmanned vehicle conference.”

In addition, Stratasys has become a regular exhibitor at the annual Shot Show in Las Vegas, which promotes itself as “the largest and most comprehensive trade show for all professionals involved with the shooting sports, hunting and law enforcement industries.” Stratasys is also listed by Shot Show in a January 2012 exhibitor webpage under the categories: ammunition, firearms, “firearm parts/gunsmithing,” and “scopes, sights telescopes and accessories.”


http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/10/stratasys-followup

[HankB]

Various articles state that Stratasys either "canceled the contract" or "pulled the lease" and took their machine back. IANAL, but it must have been a month-to-month lease or contract, since one party to a contract normally can't cancel or terminate the agreement unless the other party violates the terms somehow, for example, by failing to make a payment.

[kgbsquirrel]

Various articles state that Stratasys either "canceled the contract" or "pulled the lease" and took their machine back. IANAL, but it must have been a month-to-month lease or contract, since one party to a contract normally can't cancel or terminate the agreement unless the other party violates the terms somehow, for example, by failing to make a payment.

As I understand it their excuse is "it's illegal," and even though it isn't, they've already repo'd the 3d printer. It probably wouldn't hold up in civil court, but they've already brought the project to a functional halt, the result desired by various malefactors.

[HankB]

As I understand it their excuse is "it's illegal," and even though it isn't, they've already repo'd the 3d printer. It probably wouldn't hold up in civil court, but they've already brought the project to a functional halt, the result desired by various malefactors.

Unless the terms of the lease/contract explicitly allowed it, I wouldn't have allowed the contractors in; if I had a valid lease or contract, by gosh, it would take either mutual consent or an order by a genuine court for me to give up my interest.

This almost makes me think the wikigun people were more interested in publicity than in actually 3D printing a firearm . . . now they can portray themselves as "victims" of a conspiracy between big manufacturers, the BATmen, and anyone else they can think of.   

[Ron]

Unless the terms of the lease/contract explicitly allowed it, I wouldn't have allowed the contractors in; if I had a valid lease or contract, by gosh, it would take either mutual consent or an order by a genuine court for me to give up my interest.

This almost makes me think the wikigun people were more interested in publicity than in actually 3D printing a firearm . . . now they can portray themselves as "victims" of a conspiracy between big manufacturers, the BATmen, and anyone else they can think of.   

They get the issue and some press without the risks of being locked up by the Feds. Not sure I blame them.

[AJ Dual]

They get the issue and some press without the risks of being locked up by the Feds. Not sure I blame them.

IMO, the WikiGun project was always more about raising awareness and with the story coverage I'm sure there's a lot of people who are now aware of the concept of "printing a gun", not now, but for the near future when these devices are sufficiently commoditized, than it was about actually producing guns.

It's kind of like saying all personal PC architecture would always be based on the Altair because it was the first kit guys were playing with at home in their garages and basements back in the 70's.

Heck, it's not even really about GUNS, it's bigger than that. The idea that someone may someday be able to make stuff at home to a high quality industrial standard that Uncle Sam want's to regulate, whatever it may be, is the bigger picture here.

People want to see a clear progression of succession inventor-A through to ubiquitous end product B. It does not work that way. Merely getting the idea out there in the general population is what's key. It's like the embryonic stateless digital cash idea. It doesn't matter if BitCoin is the one that does it, or succeeds. It's just the idea that's important. The marketplace will take care of determining which one is best.

It was once said "The Revolution will be Televised".

We're past that. Now it's: "The AnCap/Libertarian Minarchist future will be digitized."

[AZRedhawk44]

IMO, the WikiGun project was always more about raising awareness and with the story coverage I'm sure there's a lot of people who are now aware of the concept of "printing a gun", not now, but for the near future when these devices are sufficiently commoditized, than it was about actually producing guns.

Agreed.

These guys took a bunch of ATF goons off their regular tasks and made them sit up and say "huhwhat?" and have no answers.  Then their bosses had no answers.  And those bosses had no answers.  And so on.

The goal here, was to expose that the visceral-gut reaction of government is to say "No!" And when they can't find a justification for "No!" then they look around for one.  When they can't find a justification, then they either operate without one (and put guys like these into jail for bullscat trumped up victimless and specious charges), or create a bedwetting panic with the moo-cow public until they can justify an "emergency" law.

The point of this was to expose the drive for control for the sake of control.  Guns just happened to be the vehicle, not the goal.

[Perd Hapley]

We're past that. Now it's: "The AnCap/Libertarian Minarchist future will be digitized."

Or did you mean "open-sourced"?

[AJ Dual]

Or did you mean "open-sourced"?

That too.