Reply to post: 3D-printed aren't what you should worry about

3D-printed aren't what you should worry about

3D-printed guns have never been any significant percentage of the "self-made" guns in the US. People freaked out when they heard about this, but as others in this thread have correctly pointed out, 3D printers--certainly the type most people can afford--are not able to print the high-strength metals required for a reliable weapon, and indeed people that tested the designs in question verified that they are crap.

What I would think would concern people much more, but rarely gets any press, are the so-called "80%" guns. For those who don't know, the actual part of a gun that is tracked and regulated in the US is the lower receiver (the part comprising the grip, magazine feed, spot to mount the trigger, etc), and this is the part that has to be serialized and cannot be sold without jumping through the appropriate weapons sales process. However, other components, like the barrel, sites, grips, magazines, trigger assembly, etc are not regulated. So, if you want to "create" your own weapon, you buy all of those high-quality secondary parts from existing suppliers. Then all you need is the lower receiver. And it turns out that someone can sell you a hunk of metal that has been partially turned into a lower receiver, but not completely finished (roughly 80% finished, hence the name), and this does not count as a regulated component. It is then up to you to drill, file, or otherwise finish the metalworking of that part to turn it into a true lower receiver.

Of course, helpfully, the companies selling you this unfinished piece typically also provide templates and guides to make it much easier for you to complete the machining, often with nothing more than common power tools.

Tolerances may not be as perfect on yours, and getting a good finish coat of some kind on it is a separate issue, but when completed, you have a high-strength weapon similar to what you would buy retail, but it has no serial number and you did not have to pass any sort of background check for it.

This is completely legal--people are legally allowed to MAKE their own weapons. You just cannot sell or transfer that weapon to someone else.