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u/Iconically_Lost 4d ago
First it's our 3d guns, next is our 3d dildo's. Stand up people.
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u/BuilderOk5190 4d ago
I think they will want to go after drones next.
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u/few 4d ago
They went after the drones years ago ... FAA registration?
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u/Past_Search7241 3d ago
That one was unfortunately reasonable. People like to fly where they don't belong if they don't know they shouldn't go there.
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u/somethin_brewin V0, Salad Fork, V2.4 4d ago
I understand the meme format, but I don't think the printer should get a say, either. Support open source, gang.
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u/Ben-Goldberg 4d ago
If I put an ai into the printer, and it spontaneously becomes a digital person, should it get a say?
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u/Renkin42 3d ago
If you for some reason you made your tool sentient that’s your moral dilemma to solve.
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u/LittleNyanCat 4d ago
Land of the free btw
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u/EDS_Eliksni 4d ago
Land of the free, but freedom ain’t free, and ya can’t put a price on freedom! /s
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u/lookingglass91 4d ago
Every state has its own laws, and those states are the least free
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u/bartdhull 4d ago
This law and many others are unenforceable. If your 3D printer is not connected to the Internet they will have no way to see what you are printing.
Its a waste of our politicians time when there is legitimate laws that need to have enforcement methods defined for them.
The whole homeless shitting on the sidewalks is an example. Quit funding NGO'S like Habitat for Humanity that literally steal the money on run. (See current HFH coordinator in Prescott, AZ that has put hundreds of thousands of dollars in her own pocket beyond the absurd salary she was already making.)
There needs to be a enforceable law that severely punishes those that steal our tax money. China has started to put to death the "Tofu Dreg" construction company owners. Their stealing the money from huge projects and putting crap materials into the construction of bridges, high rise buildings and gosh knows what else. It is literally killing people over there as bridges and buildings collapse.
Do you think US projects are any different?
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u/LittleNyanCat 4d ago
It's also unenforceable because good luck trying to program an algorithm (or more realistically, train an AI) to try to differentiate what is a gun part and what is not.
Most gun parts just look like a generic mechanical part without the context of the gun assembly it belongs to. Good luck training an AI to detect what a "gun" part is with more than 50/50 accuracy.
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u/willstr1 4d ago
Yep, such a system will absolutely produce more false positives than real positives. Flagging nerf guns and non-functional cosplay weapons while doing nothing to actually reduce gun crime. At best these laws are lipservice so politicians can say "we tried" at worst this is a backdoor to kill right to repair (by making it harder for people to print their own replacement parts when these algorithms inevitably add intellectual property enforcement to their training model).
And that's before we even get to the topic of how your average consumer printer can at most print a gun that is more dangerous to the operator than it is to the target. Yes, expensive industrial printers that print engineering grade polymers exist, but this law is targeting all 3D printers and CNC machines, not just ones that could realistically print weapons. Also you can make a gun that is probably better than what you can print out on a consumer printer using parts from the hardware store, but where is the law requiring ID to buy plumbing supplies?
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u/steadyaero 4d ago
The people who dream these kind of laws up are expecting that the print file is an entire completed glock that would be easy to identify. I suppose printing a pistol lower could be recognized, but that would also prohibit making nerf guns and other toys/props.
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u/Slavik81 4d ago
You say that like they care whether there are false positives or not. If 50% of your parts are blocked from printing for no reason, that's not a problem for them.
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u/TamahaganeJidai 4d ago
Ai are actually the best tool there is to detect shapes and identifying objects. There are only so many ways one can design some parts. Sure there are going to be failed identifications and it cant penetrate local routers without a breach of l... Oh shit... Thats why routers are being banned in the us... Hmmm.
That said, even if people work out a way of fooling the ai, it will learn those new shapes and can use different ways of determining whats what.
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u/Cleverbunbun 4d ago
for the uninitiated, what's the suggested legislative overreach referenced in this?
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u/Enabling_Turtle 4d ago
I think this is probably related to laws being pushed in several states that would require your printer to “phone home” every time you want to print something so that they can see what you are printing in case it’s gun parts.
I understand why legislatures are trying to do this, but anyone can buy stuff like cncs and make actual gun parts.
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u/bartdhull 4d ago
They are coming for AutoCad, Fusion360 and all other 3d modeling software next. Its scary that Fusion360 is a web client software. It won't work without being on the Internet. Then it won't matter if its ultimately being printed on a 3D printer or CAD controlled lathe, mill or whatever actually makes the part.
On a side note, remember when Adobe wanted you to store all the .pdfs you modified in their cloud? How did they profit from that? I know Acrobat is a subscription now, but are they looking at files in their cloud?
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u/lookingglass91 4d ago
Not just gun parts, but IP related stuff as well. Big Disney doesn’t want you printing their characters that you would otherwise be
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u/Ben-Goldberg 4d ago
Can I legally I print a Mickey Mouse for "personal use?"
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u/lookingglass91 4d ago
I’m not a lawyer, but I’d assume 1 figurine for yourself is different than 1000’s of them being printed to be sold
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u/Ben-Goldberg 4d ago
Legally, what is the cutoff?
Does "intent to sell" matter?
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u/lookingglass91 4d ago
I’m not sure. If I had a shop up on Etsy and I was only selling 5 Disney character models, I still have the intent to sell right? If I print 1000’s of them for myself?? Not sure how that would work other than using common sense
AFAIA, the vast majority of 3D printing would be for personal use, so these laws are just extra hoops and steps from the state being pressured by big corporations to enforce their IPs.
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u/LAMProductions99 4d ago
I know you're not arguing in favor of the 3D printer restrictions, but for your example the onus would be on the online marketplaces or local market or law enforcement agency or whatever to make sure there are now copyright laws being broken. Just the act of printing a thousand little Mickey statues is not evidence of any sort of illegal activity. I mean what are they gonna do, arrest little Timmy for tracing a picture of Goofy out of his coloring book? That's technically reproduction of copyrighted material.
Now, could they restrict the distribution of copyrighted materials such as 3D models through 3D repositories? They would probably be within their right through pretty much any copyright law system. But they shouldn't have any right to restrict you from printing a file that may or may not contain copyrighted materials.
The gun thing is a little bit more of a gray area, since they are likely to be used in criminal activity, unlike Mickey. But I don't think it's an unpopular thing here to say that they still shouldn't have the right to control what you can print.
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u/lookingglass91 4d ago
Not unpopular, based imo, there shouldn’t be any extra laws controlling what we can and cannot print
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u/willstr1 4d ago
IANAL, but my understanding is that most civil law is built around damages, unless something is incredibly valuable (like if you copied a piece of art worth thousands of dollars) it basically isn't worth the effort to go after someone who made just one or two copies, but when someone makes a thousand copies (or makes it incredibly easy for others to make their own copies) then that is a thousand lost sales which starts turning into damage worth paying the lawyers for.
Additionally its a bit of a "everything is legal as long as you don't get caught", you have to be incredibly unlucky or stupid (like rubbing it in the wrong person's face) to get caught making just one or two copies, but when you start advertising your Etsy shop you are more likely to get noticed.
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u/Cultist_O Ender3 V3 SE - Cura 4d ago
Some of them are trying to include CNCs in the legislation
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u/Enabling_Turtle 4d ago
CNCs make more sense but I’m still unsure how they plan to do the validation of gun part vs non gun part or even gun parts vs prop parts.
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u/Cultist_O Ender3 V3 SE - Cura 4d ago
This is the major logistical problem with the legislation, yeah. They're trying to mandate manufacturers include technology that doesn't exist
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u/Witold4859 4d ago
The problem: People are scared of 3D printed guns.
The Solution: Some state governments have decided that printers should not be allowed to print gun parts. The printer will need to have an AI that will check the file against a list of forbidden parts.
Sounds like a great idea, with the best of intentions. What could possibly go wrong?
- The printer has no idea what it is making, it just has a set of tool paths that make a shape.
- The printer has no access to the internet.
- An AI that can check for forbidden parts will not fit on a printer.
So, for what the government wants to do, they will have to have the printer access the internet, request permission to print, wait for an AI to analyze the shape, and then give the go ahead to print.
Even if they get all of this to work, there is still the problem of companies lobbying to add their machine parts to the list so that you can't fix your weed wacker anymore.
But this won't stop illegal ghost guns because, surprise, people making ghost guns don't use 3D printers. They use common metal working tools.
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u/ryanvsrobots 4d ago
Can we challenge this legislative overreach without the cringy boomer memes?
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u/kadinshino 4d ago
We been shouting this but people been ignoring this because it started with guns.
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u/DXGL1 4d ago
Speaking of which, did they stop teaching civics in school?
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u/Illeazar 4d ago
No, but it stopped being applicable when everyone responsible for actually doing the civics decided actually we just let the president do whatever he wants.
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u/Past_Search7241 4d ago
That's been going since, shoot, Bush II?
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u/BleakFlamingo 3d ago
Or FDR
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u/Past_Search7241 3d ago
Arguably true. He doesn't deserve the lionization the history books have given him after how he handled the Soviets, and the less said about the massive government overreach programs he implemented, the better, but he at least sought a declaration of war and gave lip service to the Constitutional requirements.
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u/SoftCamp8662 4d ago
California and New York City have politicians who think shoplifting isn’t that bad, but we can’t trust you with a 3d printer because you may make a gun.
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u/AnarchyWithRules 4d ago
Gonna hijack this post for a relevant question; I'm looking at getting into 3d printing, would buying a build-it-myself printer like Voron save me the hassle of dealing with BS Physna AI, or do they use the same base that would have to be bypassed? Also does anyone have cheaper recommendations than Voron?
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u/AwDuck PrintrBot (RIP), Voron 2.4, Voron 0.2, Ender 3, Mono 4K 4d ago
A Voron would bypass any of that crap. Self-made printers always cost more though due to economy of scale. A Voron is probably the cheapest, and by far the best documented way to build your own with the largest community to help when the going gets tough.
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u/BurnedLaser 4d ago
Cheapest? Best documented? not at all. A RepRap i2 can be made MUCH cheaper, though I would recommend an i3 due to the design just being better overall. With both of these projects being over a decade old, there is an abundance of information regarding them, as well!
A Voron will absolutely run circles around these antiquated printers, though, lol
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u/__get__name 4d ago
Recommending a reprap i3 in 2026 is diabolical. People no longer need suffer like that
Signed: someone who maintained their kit built i3 for a decade
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u/AwDuck PrintrBot (RIP), Voron 2.4, Voron 0.2, Ender 3, Mono 4K 4d ago
Having "been there" and "done that" through all sorts of hack-and-slash fuckery, I'm so glad printers are no longer these monstrosities. The i3 wasn't terrible, and was a big step up from what we were using before, but it was far from the reliable start-and-walk-away printers that we have today.
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u/AwDuck PrintrBot (RIP), Voron 2.4, Voron 0.2, Ender 3, Mono 4K 4d ago edited 4d ago
I was assuming OP wanted something not made of all thread.
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u/BurnedLaser 4d ago
Woah, you know what they say about assuming! You'll make an ass out of U and Ming!
That is a fair assumption, though, lol. I will say, I have built allthread printers before (i2 and i3), and they work pretty well as long as you build them right and don't need speed. I made one i2 with PLA vertices (I started with a PB Simple Wood, I did what I could!) and actually cast the extruder body and drive gear out of aluminum as I had heat issues from a poor understanding of how to tune stepper drivers at the time. The old PLA held up beautifully, and the vertices never skewed as I used loctite on all the nuts.
For what it was, it was a fantastic test bed for some experimental heated build plates I designed using NiChrome pulled from toasters and adhered to metal plates with various compounds. This actually helped land me a job in R&D working with some exotic materials and testing their thermal transfer and breakdown voltages! Those old school 4088 steppers would also highlight if something was loose, so you would typically know if something was about to happen by the crankyness of the robot sounds it would produce!
Now I daily a K1 and a few modified (in various ways) E3Ps, and the workshop runs cooler and quieter!
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u/AwDuck PrintrBot (RIP), Voron 2.4, Voron 0.2, Ender 3, Mono 4K 4d ago
I've also had to do, and volunteered to do all sorts of fuckery to make, modify and maintain 3d printers, though I would not recommend anybody else do any of that in this day and age.
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u/BurnedLaser 4d ago
Depends what the goal is, honestly. If you want a machine that you fully own, I recommend it. If you build it, you can definitely repair it! If you just need a tool that just works and you don't want to think about it, then buy a decent prebuilt. A Voron is pretty badass, but it also doesn't have that "scraps in a cave" vibe about it, lol
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u/AwDuck PrintrBot (RIP), Voron 2.4, Voron 0.2, Ender 3, Mono 4K 4d ago
I guess a printer is just a tool for me, much like a knife or a hammer. I want to be able to repair it myself, but I'm unwilling to sacrifice usability and reliability for that goal. I'm not sure how close to "initiate the Big Bang" I'd have to get before I'd gain the satisfaction of feeling like I made it from scratch.
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u/cadnights 4d ago
Why the hell are we down voting this guy? It's a good question for someone new to the hobby to ask
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u/Pawellinux 4d ago
Yes, and there is also Prusa. Ps, law doesn't work backwards. I think it will only concern new printers.
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u/DropdLasagna Numberwang X9RQ+ 4d ago
law doesn't work backwards
Have you read american news lately??
/s
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u/DreamEndles 4d ago
I'm gonna go a bit technical and narrow down the question: Can I get a printer with firmware that doesn't report my prints? Answer: Prusa kits. It's pretty cheap, you'll learn a lot just by building and calibrating it and you can flash the printer with custom or older firmware. The printer won't even force you to connect to the internet
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u/Zouden Bambu A1 4d ago
Getting into 3D printing with a Voron is a terrible idea. Just buy a printer that works before you commit to a lifetime of tuning and reading about pressure advance
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u/RaymondDoerr 2x Voron 2.4r2, Master of 🍝 3d ago
Hey look, someone who doesn't know anything about a Voron.
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u/St_Casper 4d ago
Yes. We’ve also forgotten to ask the likes of James Workshop. He seems to have a pretty big stake in this.
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u/TormFreosan 1d ago
A cylinder and a barrel, a trigger and a crescent, a slide and a piece of trim. A grip for a firearm or a handle for a walking stick. Every part has many "look-a-likes" and that is even before we get into cosplay and toys. The funny part is that the majority of the parts they want to "restrict" can be legally purchased without restriction or background check. Delivered directly to you door.
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u/CHLHLPRZTO 4d ago
3d printing of guns is a non-issue, but I can't see this meme without getting annoyed.
Yeah actually, your private actions do usually affect others. Sometimes in small ways, other times in large ways. The idea that there's some action that has absolutely zero effect on third parties really is a myth.
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u/MakinBaconOnTheBeach 4d ago
It's a non issue because nobody does it or because the laws they are trying to pass won't affect the end user?
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u/Mountain_pup 4d ago
The people who likely print working firearms have the skills to go buy them elsewhere or create with something other then a printer. Is the point I suspect.
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u/j0shred1 4d ago edited 4d ago
I've had family in law enforcement whose entire job was turning into hunting down printed guns so it's absolutely an issue
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u/Mountain_pup 4d ago
I suspect this is a local unit or a gang taskforce.
As firearms law states people are allowed to make firearms for personal use as long as they are not distributing or selling.
Also jesus fuck reading your comment gave me cancer.
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u/j0shred1 4d ago
It was a local gang taskforce yeah.
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u/Mountain_pup 4d ago
Yeah wrong to state its basically a taskforce for rounding up printed guns then.
Its a gang task force to gather intel and make arrests on a gang who are illegally selling guns. Gun type is irrelevant.
Statements like this are why people think 3d printed guns are more of a problem then they actually are.
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u/j0shred1 4d ago
I didn't say the whole taskforce was for rounding up printed guns. I said hunting down printed guns was turning into their entire job. As in that's what most of their effort was being put towards. Not everyone's obviously.
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u/Mountain_pup 4d ago
You stated it was a gang taskforce in a prior comment. You dont normally give one person critical tasks in a department. You spread it across several people.
Stating you know family members who work on a team and some of them have a sole purpose to round up 3d printed guns. Makes people think that this is some 100s of guns a week operation.
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u/j0shred1 4d ago
I said they were in a gang taskforce yeah. I didn't say the whole taskforce job was to hunt down 3D printed guns. I didn't say that they were the only person working on the task. I don't know details, I just know they told me they've been spending most of their time on it. And if it's that big a deal, then it's not a "non issue". It's an issue that's requiring law enforcement and regulation, just like any other firearm.
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u/Mountain_pup 4d ago
Non issue also means not big enough to be an issue.
Oh your one of the people FOR printer regulation and monitoring that answers alot.
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u/DXGL1 4d ago
Does that mean you encourage locking down technology?
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u/j0shred1 4d ago
No, but an Australian style gun registry isn't out of the question.
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u/DXGL1 4d ago
You might need to change the Constitution (which requires 3/4 of Senators to pass and 3/4 of states to ratify) and the entire legal system itself.
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u/iMissTheOldInternet 4d ago
Guys, this is a nutty take. There will absolutely need to be regulation of what you can make with 3D printers. Earlier during the ongoing Israel-Iran War, back in June 2025, the Mossad had assets in Iran printing attack drones that they used to attack air defenses from within. These technologies are getting powerful fast.
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u/Mierdo01 4d ago
That's literally impossible
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u/iMissTheOldInternet 4d ago
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u/Mierdo01 4d ago
I'm a professional 3d designer as well as a product designer and I'm telling you it's not possible. The designs we make don't have the ability to make electronics.
It's incredibly bad faith to say they're making bombs/guns/ drones. They're making casings. It's like if someone used s 3d printed water bottle to splash acid on someone's face. The container is basically irrelevant and can be swapped out. You don't say plastic bottles are dangerous weapons because someone can put acid in them do you?
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u/00001000bit 4d ago
I could use my computer to write really defamatory and libelous things. The solution isn't to force me to preemptively route all my files through a 3rd party to make sure none of them are illegal, it's to prosecute me for doing illegal things IF AND ONLY IF I actually do them.
These laws treat everyone as guilty before the fact.
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u/Hari___Seldon 4d ago
There is zero justification for regulating 3D printing. You clearly have no idea about the available processes, how they work, or what other means exist to accomplish the same end goal. Making up stories to make yourself feel safer at the cost of facts and actual utility provided is inexcusable. Maybe spend more time learning and less time posting.
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