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Michael Koenitzer
Professor Caruso
UWRT 1103
6 October 2015
Should Americans Be Able to 3-D Print Firearms?
The idea is innovative, but the capabilities are terrifying. The 3-D printing firearms is an
advancement in technology and 3-D printing, but can be used to create weapons that are
untraceable and undetectable. These weapons have been able to make it past airport level
security undetected and has caused many lawmakers and security agencies to put more attention
to the issue.
In 1988 the United States Senate and House passed the Undetectable Firearms act. It
outlaws the possession, creation, giving, or delivery of any firearm that is undetectable by metal
detectors and is not visible on x-ray machines commonly used at airports (Library of Congress).
In 2013, the House passed a bill to extend this act for another ten years. This act directly affects
the creation and possession of 3-D printed firearms, but they can only do so much.
In 2013, Cody Wilson posted the files to the first 3-D printed gun on the internet for
anyone to download. After a few days, the State Department demanded that the files be removed
after violating the International Trade Arms Regulations (Greenberg). The International Trade
Arms Regulations is a set of regulations that controls the export of military items such as
weapons and weapons data abroad (USC Office of Compliance). Cody Wilson retaliated by
filing a lawsuit against the State Department but, not for the violation of his second amendment
rights, but for the violation of his right to freedom of speech (Feuer). The case is still open and
will remain open until a decision is made. The act by the State Department is more focused on

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the safety of people because they fear these weapons that are completely undetectable and
untraceable may fall into the wrong hands.
There have already been tests done to see how easily these weapons can make it onto
public transportation. Two reporters from Daily Mail used $2,613 to build The Liberator, the
first 3-D printed gun posted online by the company Defense Distributed owned by Cody Wilson,
and attempted to board a Eurostar train going from London to Paris. The were successful in
passing through security that is said to be airport level and made it onto a train with the gun
separated into 3 pieces. After boarding the train, the immediately began to assemble to gun and
managed to do it in about 30 seconds. This raised many alarms by transportation security
agencies and they are researching ways to better detect weapons and threats (Klimas). Although
3-D printed plastic guns can be dangerous, other methods of 3-D printing can create more
reliable and more deadly weapons.
Defense Distributed seems to be leading the fight for the 3-D printing of guns. They
recently developed a machine called Ghost Gunner. It costs $1500 and uses aluminum to 3-D
print firearms and is sold to the general public by the company. Andy Greenberg from
wired.com used a machine loaned by Defense Distributed to create a full-functional AR-15
assault rifle that is completely untraceable (Greenberg). By selling machines capable of making
fully functioning assault rifles and other guns Defense Distributed is allowing any person with
the right amount of money to make weapons. This includes people such as felons and people that
would generally fail a background check that is often given when purchasing a firearm. This is a
very frightening idea and Ghost guns have already showed how deadly they can be in the wrong
hands. In the summer of 2013, John Zawahri used a [ghost gun] to kill five people in Santa
Monica (Greenberg). This could usher in a whole new era of crime. Crimes were people commit

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violent crimes with guns that they didnt buy from the black market, but with guns that they
printed in their home.
With technology making strong advancements everyday, technology is also being used in
ways not previously designed for. 3-D printers were originally designed for people to use to
make household items and cool peaceful projects, but now they have been turned into personal
weapon factories used to make deadly weapons. The government is making many attempts to try
and stop people from making these weapons as they are untraceable and undetectable. They have
already been used in killings and have been able to make in onto public transportation. If there is
a way that these guns can be regulated than most of these problems can be solved, but how do
you regulate what people can print in their own homes? The answer is that you really cant and
the fact is that the government wont ever be able to prevent people from 3-D printing their own
firearms without violating the Bill of Rights. Americans should be worried of what these
weapons can do and at the rate of mass killings in America it wont be long until a ghost gun is
used.

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Works Cited
Feuer, Alan. "Cody Wilson, Who Posted Gun Instructions Online, Sues
State Department." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 May
2015. Web. 06 Oct. 2015.
Greenberg, Andy. "Feds Tighten Restrictions on 3-D Printed Gun Files
Online." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 11 June 2015. Web. 05 Oct.
2015.
GreenBerg, Andy. "I Made an Untraceable AR-15 Ghost Gun in My
OfficeAnd It Was Easy." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 3 June 2015.
Web. 06 Oct. 2015.
Greenberg, Andy. "I Made an Untraceable AR-15 Ghost Gun in My
OfficeAnd It Was Easy." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 06
Oct. 2015.
"H.R.4445 - Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988100th Congress (19871988)." H.R.4445. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.
Klimas, Liz. "3D-Printed Gun Makes It Through Transportation Security
Undetected." The Blaze. TheBlaze Inc., 13 May 2013. Web. 05 Oct.
2015.
USC Office of Compliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
Wagstaff, Keith. "Despite Plastic Gun Ban, 3-D Printed Firearms Still
Have a Future - NBC News." NBC News. N.p., 9 Dec. 2013. Web. 06
Oct. 2015.

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