A NEW technology enabling a 3D printer to print a gun which can fire real bullets has brought more worries than excitement in the Unites States, especially at a time when gun violence has become a major security concern.

The first 3D-printed gun was successfully fired on May 5 by Cody Wilson, founder of Defense Distributed, an organization in Texas committed to the distribution of open source firearm designs for 3-D printers.  The alarming fact is that anyone with a 3D printer can now print a plastic gun with the capability of firing real bullets capable of killing people. Federal and local legislators are considering new bills to ban or regulate the use of 3D printers to print weapons.

California State Senator Leland Yee, a Chinese American, is seeking ways to pass a bill that would outlaw other 3D weapons from being built outside of the factories where firearms are regularly assembled. Lee, a Democrat that represents a large chunk of California that includes parts of San Francisco, issued a press release this week condemning the world’s first 3D handgun.  "We must be proactive in seeking solutions to this new threat rather than wait for the inevitable tragedies this will make possible,” Yee said.

The major concern is that the new technology will make it possible for the convicted criminals and others who will not be able to obtain a firearm through normal channels to manufacture firearms at home.  "Part of the reason we have background checks is to ensure that felons, criminals, are not going to have guns,”  Yee said in the press release. "That those individuals who have mental health issues are not going to have guns.  And so now there is a gaping loophole to allow any individual to make a gun undetected, and the guns themselves are undetected. It’ s going to create a tremendously unsafe situation for the rest of society,”  Lee stressed.

"What I’ m looking at right now is to ensure that any individual who is going to make a gun out of these 3D printers go through a background check, just like any other individuals who purchase a gun,”  Yee said.

Lawmakers in other states are also looking to advance local 3D-printed gun bans. Washington DC council member Tommy Wells introduced a similar proposal, and lawmakers in New York State have started to act accordingly. "Digital manufacturing technologies hold a lot of exciting potential to make manufacturing more affordable and more accessible. But in this respect, the technology is fast outpacing the laws,” Wells told the press.  

"An undetectable firearm constructed on your computer may sound like science fiction, but unfortunately, it’s already here and our laws have never contemplated this scenario. These weapons create a significant and immediate threat to public safety,” Wells said.

At the Federal level, U.S. Congressman Steve Israel has gone on the record to say:  "Security checkpoints, background checks and gun regulations will do little good if criminals can print plastic firearms at home.”  U.S.

Agencies