US Gov to explore requiring 3d printer manufacturers and software developers to contain controls to prevent users from manufacturing firearms components

RobotToaster@mander.xyz to Technology@lemmy.ml – 132 points –
Law enforcement leans on 3D-printer industry to help thwart machine gun conversion devices
apnews.com
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Anyone ever try to photocopy currency?

3d printing != paper printing. It's largely hobbyist ran technology, and almost entirely open source. You're not going to get tracking dots or currency replication prevention into open source software.

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Money is easy, many currencies have the "Eurion constellation" which can be recognized by the copier. It will be much harder to recognise a 3d printed part to detect something that can be made into a gun.

Yeah that was my thoughts too. It’s not like it can’t be bypassed but it’s not “easy.” This is kinda how I see it going for commercial 3D printers. It’s not a bad thing either. I’ve always been a fan of making people earn dangerous knowledge & skills. Even in fictional universes like Star Trek there’s restrictions on using a replicator to make weapons.

So it’s not unreasonable, imho, to put some kind of guard rails up that force people to actively bypass restrictions in making weapons.

The trick will be telling the difference between making a nerf gun, action figure guns, and an actual weapon. That I don’t see being possible at this time. Too many edge cases that don’t neatly fit.

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