Once again, gun culture is occupying the centre of the American public discourse with the invention of world's first fully 3D printed handgun. While the idea of 3D printed gun, developed by Austin-based Defense Distributed, seems to have commanded global attention with over 100,000 blueprints download in just two days, lawmakers in many states including California, New York and DC are already considering passing regulations that would outlaw 3D printed weapons.
Meanwhile, the guns themselves can be dangerous to both the users of them and bystanders. According to a recent report from The Guardian, specialists have warned that "firing a gun in which any part has been made in a 3D printer could result in the death of the user," because the plastic inside the gun would not stand ballistic pressures and stresses, causing the weapon to disintegrate.
Jonathan Rowley, design director of London-based 3D printing specialist Digits2Widgets, issued a warning against Cody Wilson's 3D printed gun. Rowley was approached by a couple of UK newspapers to "print" a gun using the files made available by Wilson. "Rowley fears that the nylon used to create the designs would be unable to withstand the explosive force of the bullet ejection and that the "gun" could explode, shooting plastic shards that could harm users and bystanders," The Guardian reports.
The nylon powder left in the barrel due to lack of cleaning or by friction from previous bullet passage can also cause potential danger because "the heat caused by the ignition of the gunpowder to fire the bullet could create a blast inside the barrel that would blow it up," Rowley explains.
Philip Boyce, an independent firearms expert at Forensic Scientific in Thetford, said the durability of the gun depends on how hard the plastic is. The weapon is likely to disrupt after 10 to 20 shots are fired because the barrel and the chamber would fall apart. "The accuracy of 3D printed guns is also under question because the barrel would wobble as the bullet passes through it," the report states.
"Do not attempt to load and fire a 3D printed gun in which any element has been printed on a home 3D printer," Rowley warns.
