this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2025
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Summary

Americans are posting videos about 3D-printed guns on the Chinese video app RedNote, despite the content being illegal in China.

While some users are uncomfortable with the topic, others see it as an opportunity for cultural exchange.

The future of TikTok remains uncertain as the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the ban.

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[–] IndustryStandard 40 points 18 hours ago (4 children)

3D printed guns are a meme. Most of them require parts of functional guns such as the barrels, And they require regular ammunition.

[–] chiliedogg 17 points 10 hours ago

The part you can easily print, however, is the receiver.

The receiver is the part that's legally a firearm. While I think it's neat I can customize my firearms, I do acknowledge that someone who is prohibited from owning a gun can very easily print a receiver and order the rest of the parts from Palmetto State Armory to get a perfectly-functional firearm without any background check being performed.

I also don't know the solution to the problem though. As 3D printing, desktop CNC, and other forms of DIY manufacturing improve in quality and decrease in price, it will be very hard to regulate home-brew weapons.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Electro chemical machining can make a barrel.

But, idk how any of what you said makes them a “meme”. You can buy a barrel online for cheap, also ammo, and I don’t have to go through a government check. That’s what a lot of these people want to avoid.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

In most countries, the barrel or other pressures bearing parts are the regulated piece. We are the weird ones for regulating receivers instead.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

Well, the article references Americans, I’m American, so okay?

Europeans can also get guns mailed to their front door, are we just comparing gun laws?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Europeans can also get guns mailed to their front door, are we just comparing gun laws?

I mean, there’s a lot of context surrounding licensing and pre-approval to get that mail order heater in Europe. Local laws vary, yadda yadda

And if you collect old guns and have a C&R license, you too can get guns delivered to your door in America.

[–] RaoulDook 1 points 11 hours ago

In the UK you can also purchase a pistol with bitcoin on the dark web and have it delivered to a train station locker, but that is not legal at all.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Oh yeah, 1000%. Also, with a C&R license, you’re not legally purchasing a “firearm”. It’s a curio or relic, but yeah, point still stands.

Also, none of that has anything to do with the discussion at hand, which was sorta my point.

[–] nerdyshades 1 points 2 hours ago

I have my 03-FFL, and "Curio & Relic" is a classification that firearms can fall into, defined as firearms manufactured 50-years or more ago. Legally, by definition, you are still purchasing a firearm. You've just had more background checks to bypass some of the rules in most states about transfers, if the firearm you are buying qualifies as a "Curio & Relic".

[–] IndustryStandard 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

It mentions sending videos about them to China. Where most of those videos are useless because the parts and ammo are not sold there.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)
[–] IndustryStandard 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Okay so a lot of work to create the barrel, but the gun still takes 9mm ammunition. And if someone in China can get their hands on ammo they can get their hands on a gun.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 16 hours ago

Okay? I don’t know what you’re arguing here? 3D printed guns aren’t a meme. Some don’t require any regulated parts. I don’t care if the average Chinese person can or will get their hands on one. You can just say you didn’t know what you were talking about when you said 3d printed guns are a “meme”. It’s not that deep

[–] IndustryStandard -2 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

Barrels require rifling. It is fairly difficult to manually create the groove as it requires a lot of tooling. Not impossible. But not something people will do to create a single gun. Only the barrel would be more work than assembling the rest of the gun.

Purchased ammo and other parts are specific to the US. 3D printed guns give people the illusion that they can make the entire gun using a 3d printer and off the shelf consumer parts. But most 3d printed guns are made by buying all the required metal parts for guns and printing out the exterior.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 hours ago

All you need is a hydraulic tube for the barrel. to make the rifling you need some copper wire, electricity and water

[–] [email protected] 3 points 17 hours ago (1 children)
[–] IndustryStandard -3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Yes, that is a lot of tooling and a lot of work.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 16 hours ago

It’s really not.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (2 children)

You could print an entire functional gun if you only intend for it to be fired successfully once. And no shit they require ammo. Ammo is easier to source than filament for the 3D printer. I can't walk into a Walmart and buy printer filament; but I can get ammo.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 13 hours ago

Ammo is regulated in California. Requires a background check.

[–] IndustryStandard 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

You can buy ammo in the US but not in China. Or virtually anywhere else in the world.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

So it's just a meme in China is what you're getting at?

[–] IndustryStandard -4 points 16 hours ago

A meme anywhere in the world. Except for the US where guns are rampant.

3D printed anything implies not needing specialized parts to create said thing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 17 hours ago

Which you can get without the same screening process for buying an actual gun.