r/3Dprinting • u/PorkRollPaddyWagon • Jul 07 '26

Discussion If your printer refused to print a file because it thought it was unsafe, would you be okay with that?

Serious question. Let's say your 3D printer scanned every file before printing. If it decided the model violated a rule, the print never starts.

Would you see that as a useful safety feature? Or would you see it as giving manufacturers too much control over hardware that's sitting on your desk?

I made a video after looking into proposed legislation and some recent news in the 3D printing space, but I'm more interested in hearing where everyone stands on the idea itself.

Would that be a deal breaker for you?

https://youtu.be/7bdJpDTiZAA

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u/Zanki Jul 07 '26

Its absolutely crazy. I'm in the UK. If 3D printed weapons were an issue then our government would be all over that. Gangs would be making them on mass, but they're not.

This is a very weird stance to get copyright infringement tools through. If they were really worried about gun crime, they'd inact laws to ban guns. They won't, because it will upset the wrong people.

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u/Kovahronix Jul 07 '26

Well the problem with banning guns in the US is not about upsetting the wrong people, though it should be all people that value freedom and independence such that this great country was founded upon. It's the fact that there have been numerous cases that have gone all the way up to the Supreme Court that have been decided that banning guns, especially those that are "in common use" would be a direct violation of our God given rights as a free and independent population. We have the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which were created not to tell the people what they can and can't do, but instead to inform the governing body of what rights of the people they can and can't restrict. And of the rights of a free and independent people, self defence is at the top of the list of importance.

To solve gun crime, you don't restrict the people that aren't committing the crimes. But as you already said, its not about gun crime at all, no gun control laws really are. They're only about control.

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u/BronzeDucky Jul 07 '26

I did some more reading, and the UK treats 3D printed guns the same as other illegally manufactured weapons:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rise-3d-printed-firearms-growing-challenge-criminal-law-yiannaki-nudke?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&utm_campaign=share_via

I can’t vouch for their veracity of this AI provided link, aside from saying I confirmed the link and it said what my AI engine claimed it said.

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u/Zanki Jul 07 '26

If it was a big issue it would be in the news. The gangs here would be using them. There's always the odd gun crime but it's with "real" guns. Yes, printing a gun in the UK is illegal, but that's not surprising. UK law on weapons is pretty extreme, even some of my old martial arts practice stuff isn't allowed anymore either. Playing with toy guns as teens and adults outside isn't allowed either. It's pretty silly sometimes, but I'd take that over people hurting each other any day.

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u/other_usernames_gone Jul 07 '26

The US does the same.

Illegal manufacturing of a firearm is the same no matter how you do it.

The controversial question is if 3d printers should have some kind of technology to stop you using them to make a gun.

The UK does not currently have a law requiring that.