3D Printed Guns – The Current Situation (2021)

3D printed guns are appearing more and more in the news and both makers and lawmakers around the world have taken notice.

There have been efforts to stifle the use and creation of 3D printed firearms and efforts to make them cheaper, more accessible, and easier to manufacture.

Regardless of where you stand, the rise in the status and power of these weapons poses a number of difficult questions.

Should someone with the files for a 3D printed gun be charged with the same crime as someone who actually has the gun? What’s the best way to regulate 3D printed weapons? Are 3D printed guns even legal? What’s their history?

Read on to find the answers to these questions and more.

Thanks for posting.

With the coming federal legislation this is very timely.

And I’m from NJ - the only state where even owning the STL files is a crime.

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In Canada its 100% legal to manufacture your own firearm so long as it fall into the proper licensing category and you own that license. It is illegal to distribute that firearm however.

I like how we have that balance.
I feel that if someone wants to commit a crime using a gun, 3d printed or not, making it illegal to have the STL files won’t change things and stop them from doing anything. The flip side is that if responsible people who are found to be trained, capable and law abiding want to build a firearm that meets what they’re legally permitted to do, our streets are no more dangerous for it. Besides, it would be the same as building one out of steel and wood anyway.

Of course. A zip gun can be made from 10$ worth of hardware store pipe, zipties, and misc. And has as much functionality as a printed gun wear and tear wise

Some gun laws for you guys.
It is legal in the US for any citizen to build their own firearms. Even felons can legally build a muzzleloader. It’s not the manufacturing of firearms they take issue with. It’s the proliferation of them that is why they are targeting STL files. When Defense Distributed first rolled out the “Liberator” the government went nuts because up until that point, they thought they were the only one capable of producing all plastic weapons. Because of the way they’ve used them, they recognize the new danger this device poised to them, directly, and the control over political power. That’s where it started. Now that it’s evolved so quickly to auto sears, they are foaming at the mouth to find any way to regain their hold on political power, because they know as firearms become more proliferated, gun friendly states will allow such things and states like CA and CT will be forced to change their laws, as the manufacturing of firearms for personal use is legal federally meaning that once someone ponies up and files a court case in the matter against one of those states, many of their laws will finally be deemed unconstitutional because the manufacture of personal firearms is recognized right protected by the constitution.

So since the can’t stop you from making them, they try to attack the means, ways and tools to make them. Unfortunately for them, they shot themself on the foot when the recently argued in the 80% lower case, that it wasn’t the ghost gun the took issue with, it was the tools being provided all together in one kit. The judge in the case literally told them if they are not targeting the firearm, they have no case. This is because as a citizen you have the right to manufacture you own weapons in the best way you know how using any tools you deem necessary.

This fights not over but they took some serious hits lately. Now is the time contact you senators and congressman and tell them to restrain executive privilege if you wish to fight back against this tyranny.

Of course, this being a Canadian forum, the most relevant laws are Canada’s. I’m sure we have many American comrades posting here, but I hope everyone can agree that America’s gun laws are serious outliers on the world stage.

I haven’t really dug into this specific subject, but I have worked for the Courts in Alberta. And every day someone would come in talking about some legal thing they’d seen or read on the internet, and I’d have to try and explain to them that they were talking about American laws, and it didn’t apply in Canada. So for anyone who’s reading this (or the original article), keep in mind that Canada’s laws are different.

A couple things to keep in mind: firearms in Canada can be controlled, requiring basic licensing to own; restricted, requiring much more stringent licensing to own; or prohibited, which are not legal to own at all. Owning a replica of a prohibited weapon is also illegal, so be careful which Star Wars blasters you set out to recreate - some of them are basically unaltered from the base weapon, and many of the base weapons are prohibited. Oddly, owning an airsoft version of a prohibited weapon is not illegal, although you need certain licenses to legally import airsoft weapons into Canada which is why they’re so expensive.

Having possession of a firearm without the proper licenses is a crime, and it doesn’t matter how you came into possession of the firearm. So don’t 3d print a firearm unless you can legally buy one.

Finally, there is a bill before Parliament right now that is attempting to control 3d printing of firearms. It’s fairly broadly written and there are some concerns about the language around “accessing computer files” - it’s possible to interpret the legislation as criminalising even opening a webpage that contains STLs of a functional firearm. Runkle of the Bailey has a YouTube video on it if you want more details, from his self-admittedly pro-gun ownership perspective. I don’t know if that bill passed before Parliament adjourned, but if it’s not law yet it probably will be soon, and that will mean 3d printing firearms in Canada will probably be illegal no matter what your credentials are. Which is at least consistent with Canada’s fairly strict rules about firearms manufacture.