PA Bill Number: HB829
Title: In preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Description: An Act amending the act of April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21), known as the Liquor Code, in preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Last Action: Signed in House
Last Action Date: Jul 3, 2024
Want to build a gun at home? You don't need a 3D printer :: 08/05/2018
On Tuesday, President Trump tweeted “I am looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to the NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense.” The president, lawmakers, and many Americans have targeted 3D-printed guns as the latest menace to society. Perhaps they should also direct their attention at books such as the Improvised Munitions Handbook that are easily accessible as free PDFs and contain DIY plans for guns and much, much more.
After all, you didn’t need to wait for 3D printers or fancy plans to know how to build a gun at home, or even to build several and arm your friends. Instead, you can find a free online copy of that old army handbook and just open to the section on firearms.
In that section, section three, you will find recipe-style instructions on how make to a range of firearms. Section 3.1 lays out plans for a pipe pistol for 9 mm ammunition. In section 3.2, there are instructions on how to make a shotgun (12 gauge). For those looking for more options, section 3.4 lays out the plans for a carbine firing 7.62 standard rifle ammunition, and section 3.6 has instructions for a pipe pistol for .45 Caliber ammunition, among other options.
These instructions outline step by step how to put various objects that are legal to obtain such as pipes, nails, and wood together and even have helpful diagrams on the side. These instructions also include procedures for testing the firearms safely and their lethal range.
If firearms aren’t enough, section four, Mortars and Rockets, has plans for grenade launchers and similar weapons. The Anarchist Cookbook is full of ideas for additional DIY projects.
These books are legal and would be very easy to find on the Internet, even if they weren’t linked in this article. In fact, given the costs involved in buying any 3D printer with sufficient precision to make a gun, these DIY gun books are probably a lot more accessible to people. And they've been accessible for years, yet you'd have a hard time finding a case where this became a serious problem.
Whether or not the Internet or the 3D printer gives more people the ability to make guns, it will remain just as illegal as it ever was to go around brandishing them, pointing them at people, or of course shooting them, or providing them to convicted felons.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/want-to-build-a-gun-at-home-you-dont-need-a-3d-printer
