Latest / Live to Shoot - Defending our 2nd Amendment Rights / The Low Down On 3D Printed Firearms
Transcript
- 0:15Well, welcome to the Live to Shoot podcast.
- 0:17My name is Jeff Doddle and I've been a licensed firearm dealer for the last 18 years.
- 0:21In this podcast, we talk about all things related to the amendment, as well as anything else going in the world sports story or anything else I might find interesting.
- 0:28So welcome, welcome, welcome.
- 0:30So first I wanna apologize for the audio In my last podcast I guess it was worse than I even thought it was gonna be from people when they actually tried to play it on their podcast players and such.
- 0:42And so I apologize.
- 0:44I was.
- 0:44You know, in a rush trying to get it out because I was taking a trip to Florida and wanted to get something out before we left, but I guess it did not go as planned.
- 0:53So anyway, I apologize for that.
- 0:55But I did go to Florida and had a great time in Florida seeing family and we, I attended my great niece's kindergarten graduation, had a great time.
- 1:05And while I was there, I did get to see a, a 3D printer you know, a personal one, not a commercial one, but got to me thinking about, you know, 3D printed guns and the fact that we hadn't really talked about'em here, the, those, so evil quote unquote ghost guns.
- 1:19So I thought I'd go ahead and sit down and kind of go over, you know, what it is about all these 3D printed.
- 1:25So let's, first, let's get to the basics.
- 1:27What is a 3D print gun?
- 1:29It's exactly what it sounds like.
- 1:31It's a firearm or parts of one at least made using a 3D printer.
- 1:35And if you haven't ever seen a 3D printer, it's.
- 1:38Essentially it prints using a plastic type filament based on a design, a three dimensional design, and it layers that filament back and forth over again until it actually constructs a 3D object of whatever it is that you di design.
- 1:52And in this case, it may be an upper or lower receiver for a particular firearm.
- 1:56So.
- 1:56And it was back in about 2013, a guy who named Cody Wilson.
- 2:02He dropped the, the liberator.
- 2:04It was the first fully 3D printed pistol that fired a single three 80 round.
- 2:09And you know, it sent the anti-guns in tailspin that, you know, that, that they were like, what is this all gonna be about?
- 2:16And since then, things have only gotten, have gotten better now.
- 2:20I know some of you're thinking, you know, are these legal?
- 2:23Well, it's a great question, and here's the good news.
- 2:26At least at the federal level, it is absolutely legal to make your own 3D printed firearm for personal use.
- 2:32As long as you're not a prohibited person, you know, one of those felons, domestic abusers, or anyone else in the law that, that the loss that can't own a gun.
- 2:40The Gun Control Act of 1968 says that you can build your own firearms, no license needed, as long as they're for personal use and meant for, you know.
- 2:47Meet basic requirements.
- 2:49For example, the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 mandates that firearms must have enough metal to be picked up by a detector.
- 2:56So toss in a metal plate or use a metal barrel or something like that, and you're good to go.
- 3:00No serial number, no registration, no A TF knocking on your door.
- 3:04At least not yet.
- 3:05Now, don't get me wrong, the feds aren't exactly throwing a parade for these 3D printed guns.
- 3:12The A T F's been sniffing around since 2002, and they rolled out a rule that tries to treat 3D printed guns and gun kits like a regular firearm.
- 3:19That means if you're a licensed dealer or a gunsmith, any 3D printed gun you make or receive must have a serial number and you've gotta run that background check on the buyers.
- 3:30But for law abiding citizens, thinking about.
- 3:33You know, tinkering around in your garage, you're still clear for now, and hopefully with this current administration it'll stay that way, but.
- 3:43Where it gets tricky is in the States.
- 3:45So while the federal government respects your rights to build your own tools for liberty there's at least 14 states out there that have jumped on the anti 3D printed gun bandwagon with their own regulations.
- 3:56So let, let's just look at a few.
- 3:57First off, you know, our favorite California, you can make a pretty a 3D print gun, but you've gotta, it's gotta have a serial number and you need to register it with the state.
- 4:06They're also cracking down untakeable firearms.
- 4:08So no, all plastic builds.
- 4:11New Jersey they've got some of the toughest.
- 4:13It's illegal to make possessed or distributed firearm that's mostly plastic or undetectable by metal detectors.
- 4:19They're aiming straight at 3D printed guns.
- 4:21New York, similar deal.
- 4:23You need serial numbers and they're pushing hard to ban untraceable firearms Massachusetts and Rhode Island both have laws requiring serial numbers and background checks for 3D printing.
- 4:32Parts Rhode Island, flat out bans, printing 3D guns without a license.
- 4:36Then you got your other usual suspects, Washington, Colorado, and Oregon.
- 4:40These states have lost targeting untraceable firearms, including 3D printing ones.
- 4:44Washington makes it illegal to manufacturer possess them without proper licensing.
- 4:48On the flip side, states like Texas, Arizona, Florida, where I was and Virginia are holding a line for freedom in these places.
- 4:54As long as you are following the federal law, you can print your own firearms without any extra hoops.
- 4:59Virginia's got a law banning plastic firearms with less than 3.7 ounces of detectable metal, but that's easy to work around.
- 5:06So.
- 5:07Now let's talk about selling these bad boys.
- 5:10If you're thinking about printing a bunch of AR 15 lowers and setting up shop, hold your horses, federal losses.
- 5:15If you're engaged in the business of manufacturing firearms, you have to have a federal firearms license.
- 5:19That means serial numbers, background checks, and a TF paperwork.
- 5:22If you're just, gifting A 3D printing gun to your buddy or keeping it for yourself, you're fine.
- 5:27No license needed.
- 5:28But the second you start selling, you're playing in the A TF stand box.
- 5:32And trust me, they can be watching.
- 5:34So speaking of the AT tf, let's get to the current legal bottles.
- 5:37Anti-gun crowds has been trying to choke out 3D printing guns since Cody Wilson posted the liberator of blueprints online back in 2008, the State Department tried to shut down claiming the file.
- 5:48The files violated his arms.
- 5:50Export laws.
- 5:51Wilson fought back saying it was a first minute issue, sharing blueprints as free speech, not gun trafficking.
- 5:56He won that round, but the fight's far from over.
- 5:58Right now the biggest battle is over ATFs 2022, rule on ghost guns.
- 6:03Gun rights groups like the Second Amendment Foundation are suing, arguing the ATFs, overstepping its authority by reclassifying gun frames and receivers as firearms in 2023.
- 6:12The Supreme Court upheld the a s rule in a five four decision, but the case is still bouncing around in lower courts.
- 6:19This is a big one.
- 6:20If the A TF wins, it could mean more red tape or building your own 3D printed guns.
- 6:24But again, we're hoping that this new administration and new DOJ quits pursuing that or backs off of it entirely.
- 6:32Then there's 3D printed Gun Safety Act pushed by Senator Gillibrand in 2023.
- 6:38This bill would ban sharing 3D print gun PUE prints online, period.
- 6:43So direct, that's the direct tax on second free speech and the second amendment, but it's still floating around Congress.
- 6:49So.
- 6:49Here's the thing, Patriots, the Second Amendment isn't just about hunting and shooting.
- 6:53It's about the right to defend yourself, your family, and your freedom.
- 6:553G printed guns are the ultimate expression of that a, a way for the little guy to, to level the playing field without begging for permission.
- 7:03And the his bureaucrats.
- 7:05Now, you know why?
- 7:08Why all the ghost gun issues, right?
- 7:10I mean, so the left is afraid that the bad guys out there are gonna go print their own 3D printed guns.
- 7:17And so they won't be traceable and the bad guys can get'em and they don't have to do'em.
- 7:21And and they'll be able to use them well, you know.
- 7:25Put yourself in the bad guy's shoes.
- 7:27What is cheaper?
- 7:28Stealing a firearm or going out and buying a 3D printer.
- 7:32The filament, getting the prints and, you know, spending hours building up, you know, a, a receiver and then you still have to buy all the other parts to make that a gun.
- 7:42And if you're gonna find some guy that's gonna try and, you know, build these, illegally and sell'em illegally to, to quote unquote criminals.
- 7:49The bad guys, well, he's gonna price them, you know, to where they're not, you know affordable for the bad guys because he's got an investment and, and it takes his time and money.
- 7:59You know, these, this is not a quick process to print out a 3D firearm.
- 8:04It, it takes hours to do it.
- 8:06So you're not gonna be pumping out a bunch of them unless you.
- 8:08Build up a full manufacturing facility, and then again, why would you waste your time trying to sell'em to bad guys, right?
- 8:14So, you know, it's a lot of you know, worry over nothing because the bad guys just, you know, the left is always worried about trying to keep the bad guys from doing things that the, the not only law abiding citizens are gonna do because the bad guys have their own processes, so.
- 8:31That's kind of a rundown on 3D printed firearms.
- 8:33They're legal at the federal level for personal use, but you've gotta watch for your state laws, especially in California and New Jersey.
- 8:40Film them requires an FFL.
- 8:42But before we wrap up, I wanna hear from you.
- 8:43Have you printed a firearm?
- 8:45You know, what's your take on it?
- 8:46Where'd you get your plans?
- 8:47I'd like to hear more about it'cause I've gotten interested in it after seeing, seeing the the one that I got to see and understanding, you know, what, what's the process like.
- 8:55It might be, it might be something I might even try and take up.
- 8:58But, you know, being a dealer and all that kind of complicates things.
- 9:01But anyway, lemme know if you've got questions about 3D printed firearms.
- 9:04Until next time, keep your powder dry.
- 9:07Air aim true, and your rights non-negotiable.
- 9:09This is Jeff signing off for the Live to Shoot podcast.
- 9:11Thank you and have a great day.