As the gun control debate continues, gone mostly unacknowledged is how 3D printer technology could one day make the entire discussion moot.
The gun-grabber agenda relies heavily on restricting firearm purchases through a licensed gun dealer and tracking the ownership or sales via gun serial numbers. But none of that is applicable when the guns are traceless, built entirely by the owner.
That is exactly what could happen, thanks to the innovative work of entrepreneurs such as Cody Wilson. His company, Defense Distributed, created the first firearm made entirely by a 3D printer. At the time, it was a one-shot pistol that required a new barrel with each new round.
In an interview with Reason Magazine, Wilson said, “Now I can ship gun machines that help you crank out 1911s in your kitchen all day long and no one has anything to say about it.”
His machines also enable an average person to take 80 percent receivers for a firearm and finish them on their own, creating in effect a completely legal gun with no serial number attached to it. Along with registration forms filed during a purchase, serial numbers make it easier for the government to track gun ownership for a potential registrar and even mass confiscation or forced buyback programs.
This is another example of how expanding markets and evolving technology can nullify federal gun control in effect.
The reaction to Wilson’s work indicates the feds are experiencing some anxiety over its potential to undermine government power. In 2013, the federal government ordered his company to remove links to gun blueprints using the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
Yet, Wilson isn’t fazed.
Watch the entire interview here to find out why:
