3D printers
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Scotland
Programs: Star Alliance
Posts: 476
3D printers
I often wondered about this.
3D printers are getting better and better with all the things they can now print, question is though, how long until someone prints out a gun or even a multipart gun and easily gets it past the scanners? (think of the movie "in the line of fire" but made much much easier)
3D printers are getting better and better with all the things they can now print, question is though, how long until someone prints out a gun or even a multipart gun and easily gets it past the scanners? (think of the movie "in the line of fire" but made much much easier)
#2
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: on the path to perdition
Programs: Delta, United
Posts: 4,801
Getting the gun through security will be easy. Having ammunition that will work without blowing the gun up and the shooters hand 's still an issue as well as getting it through security. Do a web search and you may learn more. Or go over to one of the many gun forums.
Last edited by FlyingUnderTheRadar; Mar 20, 2015 at 1:25 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,451
I often wondered about this.
3D printers are getting better and better with all the things they can now print, question is though, how long until someone prints out a gun or even a multipart gun and easily gets it past the scanners? (think of the movie "in the line of fire" but made much much easier)
3D printers are getting better and better with all the things they can now print, question is though, how long until someone prints out a gun or even a multipart gun and easily gets it past the scanners? (think of the movie "in the line of fire" but made much much easier)
There's a plastic pistol out there already, admittedly a bit unreliable and certainly not good for more than a few shots. The only metal part is a common nail.
It fires a standard metal-cased bullet, though.
While I haven't heard of it being done one could no doubt make a muzzleloader version that omitted the metal of the casing. Also, I'm sure there are chemical means of firing it that wouldn't require a metal part. You're not going to be able to get around a metal bullet, though.
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Scotland
Programs: Star Alliance
Posts: 476
Where have been for the last two years?
There's a plastic pistol out there already, admittedly a bit unreliable and certainly not good for more than a few shots. The only metal part is a common nail.
It fires a standard metal-cased bullet, though.
While I haven't heard of it being done one could no doubt make a muzzleloader version that omitted the metal of the casing. Also, I'm sure there are chemical means of firing it that wouldn't require a metal part. You're not going to be able to get around a metal bullet, though.
There's a plastic pistol out there already, admittedly a bit unreliable and certainly not good for more than a few shots. The only metal part is a common nail.
It fires a standard metal-cased bullet, though.
While I haven't heard of it being done one could no doubt make a muzzleloader version that omitted the metal of the casing. Also, I'm sure there are chemical means of firing it that wouldn't require a metal part. You're not going to be able to get around a metal bullet, though.
#5
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: where the chile is hot
Programs: AA,RR,NW,Delta ,UA,CO
Posts: 42,139
No one is going to print a gun that gets past the screeners (unless they are jacking their jaws with their co-workers or playing on their cellphones while they are supposed to be working and they miss it just like they miss real firearms).
It doesn't matter what the materials are: a 2-inch plastic toy gun, a sock monkey's tiny gun or a plastic replica (one side only) on a woman's purse were confiscated. You can't even take a kid's squirt gun through the checkpoint, and it would almost certainly get confiscated from a checked bag.
It's going to be interesting to see if the printers themselves are allowed through the checkpoint.
It doesn't matter what the materials are: a 2-inch plastic toy gun, a sock monkey's tiny gun or a plastic replica (one side only) on a woman's purse were confiscated. You can't even take a kid's squirt gun through the checkpoint, and it would almost certainly get confiscated from a checked bag.
It's going to be interesting to see if the printers themselves are allowed through the checkpoint.
#6
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: WAS
Programs: enjoyed being warm spit for a few years on CO/UA but now nothing :(
Posts: 2,524
No one is going to print a gun that gets past the screeners (unless they are jacking their jaws with their co-workers or playing on their cellphones while they are supposed to be working and they miss it just like they miss real firearms).
It doesn't matter what the materials are: a 2-inch plastic toy gun, a sock monkey's tiny gun or a plastic replica (one side only) on a woman's purse were confiscated. You can't even take a kid's squirt gun through the checkpoint, and it would almost certainly get confiscated from a checked bag.
It's going to be interesting to see if the printers themselves are allowed through the checkpoint.
It doesn't matter what the materials are: a 2-inch plastic toy gun, a sock monkey's tiny gun or a plastic replica (one side only) on a woman's purse were confiscated. You can't even take a kid's squirt gun through the checkpoint, and it would almost certainly get confiscated from a checked bag.
It's going to be interesting to see if the printers themselves are allowed through the checkpoint.
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,451
No one is going to print a gun that gets past the screeners (unless they are jacking their jaws with their co-workers or playing on their cellphones while they are supposed to be working and they miss it just like they miss real firearms).
It doesn't matter what the materials are: a 2-inch plastic toy gun, a sock monkey's tiny gun or a plastic replica (one side only) on a woman's purse were confiscated. You can't even take a kid's squirt gun through the checkpoint, and it would almost certainly get confiscated from a checked bag.
It doesn't matter what the materials are: a 2-inch plastic toy gun, a sock monkey's tiny gun or a plastic replica (one side only) on a woman's purse were confiscated. You can't even take a kid's squirt gun through the checkpoint, and it would almost certainly get confiscated from a checked bag.
It's going to be interesting to see if the printers themselves are allowed through the checkpoint.
#8
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: where the chile is hot
Programs: AA,RR,NW,Delta ,UA,CO
Posts: 42,139