America is introducing 3D-printed guns now

[Jackalope]

I have no idea whether it's for money, or ideology, or something else but I would not expect NRA to do anything else given their history.

-- an ex-NRA Life member

[Rev. Rye]

You may be a relatively sane gun owner (if I'm interpreting this correctly), but we're still going to get a shitton of idiots trying to make it, even if it does fuck up. And the NRA will do everything in their power to keep them in legal circulation and stymie any attempts to keep it in check, no matter how sensible it may be.

The trouble will be that it will be difficult to stop. Besides, I thought the NRA was just in it for the money (according to some). This would seem to go against that.

To be honest, I don't have a lot of hope that gun control will make a huge impact, especially with the release of these (evidently functional) 3D printed guns to the public. And I honestly don't think that they're just in it for the money at this point. It certainly plays a part, but with the hard-line against anything sensible relating to gun control, I don't think that's all of it.

Then again, the NRA just released a statement saying that "Many anti-gun politicians and members of the media have wrongly claimed that 3-D printing technology will allow for the production and widespread proliferation of undetectable plastic firearms. Regardless of what a person may be able to publish on the Internet, undetectable plastic guns have been illegal for 30 years. Federal law passed in 1988, crafted with the NRA’s support, makes it unlawful to manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive an undetectable firearm.”

Well, you got me there.

[Fireball]

How is anyone going to find these undetectable guns?

[The Industrial Atheist]

So if they're made off the table, the gun manufacturers won't make any money. I expect the GOP to say they don't love guns enough to be for this.

[RoadRunner79]

So if they're made off the table, the gun manufacturers won't make any money. I expect the GOP to say they don't love guns enough to be for this.

I expect that whether they support or oppose it, it will be spun in some way to make them look bad.

[I_am_not_mafia]

On the other hand, this could be beneficial.  The government could hack the 3D gun printing plans resulting in people printing off guns that don't work.

I'm wondering whether it could be beneficial in an entirely different way as the technology develops and becomes cheaper. Only someone with criminal intent would need to print off one of these guns right now, but maybe in 10 years time it will become far more commonplace.

It all comes down to money. Lobby groups such as the NRA are out to protect the profits of a particular industry. America continues to suffer a gun problem because all the solutions to it so far hurt the profits of the gun industry.

But now there are 3D printed guns and the industry cannot profit from it. This makes the gun problem worse with little benefit to anyone. This means more pressure to sort out the gun problem without the increased pressure from the guns industry to resist it. And any solution to 3D printed guns will have to also apply to manufactured guns as well.

[Rev. Rye]

So if they're made off the table, the gun manufacturers won't make any money. I expect the GOP to say they don't love guns enough to be for this.

You sure? Because th last 18 months or so, they’ve pretty much proven that they entirely lack anything resembling moral standards when it comes to things they like.

[The Industrial Atheist]

So if they're made off the table, the gun manufacturers won't make any money. I expect the GOP to say they don't love guns enough to be for this.

I expect that whether they support or oppose it, it will be spun in some way to make them look bad.

I was mostly joking. I don't think it's politically feasible for them to support it. If they say "That's too much freedom" I will agree with them. It would be pretty hard to stop it though.

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So if they're made off the table, the gun manufacturers won't make any money. I expect the GOP to say they don't love guns enough to be for this.

You sure? Because th last 18 months or so, they’ve pretty much proven that they entirely lack anything resembling moral standards when it comes to things they like.

The point I was making, as a joke, was that because it doesn't benefit their donors (and in fact would cost them business and money) they would be against it.

[Minimalist]

So if they're made off the table, the gun manufacturers won't make any money. I expect the GOP to say they don't love guns enough to be for this.

I expect that whether they support or oppose it, it will be spun in some way to make them look bad.

That's what happens when you suck the NRA's cock all the time.....to the tune of 30,000 dead and 75,000 wounded every year.  I imagine that "jesus" approves, though.

[TaraJo]

I'm kinda delighted to see 3-D printed guns become an issue.  Not that I think they're inherently a good thing or anything.  I'm just going to take delight in watching the NRA implode on itself.  

They've spent the past 40 years whipping their flock into a frenzy, convincing them that any gun regulation is tyranny.  They don't really care about gun enthusiasts; they care about gun manufacturers and the enthusiasts are just useful idiots to them.  So far, deregulating guns as much as possible has worked out for both sides.  Manufacturers get to sell all the guns they want to as many people as want them and gun nuts don't have to worry about anyone saying they can't own the most dangerous weapons out there.

But 3-D printed guns change things.  Suddenly, gun nuts can buy guns without manufacturers turning a profit.  They can even build their own guns if they have their own 3d printer.  For once, gun manufacturers are in a situation where gun regulation, specifically banning 3d printed guns, will help them turn a profit.  If their flock will actually pay attention, they'll be enraged to see the NRA advocate for gun control.