3D printed guns could be a very real threat in the future

The Hill: The decision by gun rights activist Cody Wilson to publish “how-to” online manuals for the construction of 3D-printed firearms, itself the result of a Trump Administration decision to reverse Obama-era gun regulations, has sparked a debate about the likely social consequences of making such weapons available to the general public.
3D-printed firearms are made of plastic and all they require is the gun blueprints and a 3D printer. Thanks to Wilson, but pending court approval, the schematics will be freely available on the internet. The printer can set you back anywhere between $349 and $3,500 depending on specifications. By comparison, the cost of an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, one of the weapons that Wilson says can be printed using his plans, is estimated at anywhere between $800 and several thousand dollars.
What worries many people, myself included, is not the relative affordability of home-made plastic weapons — it is that these firearms are undetectable and anyone with the money to buy a 3D-printer can build them. Since the purchase of a printer does not come with a background check or gun licensing requirement, individuals with a criminal record, domestic abusers, terrorists, people with no firearms training and experience whatsoever, and teenage kids could all potentially get their hands on a freshly printed plastic firearm.
Advocates for 3D printed guns say that such arguments are either naïve or intentionally misleading. Based on current technology, home 3D printers cannot be used to print such firearms, only industrial quality versions that cost tens of thousands. What’s more, the quality of plastic available is not really suitable for firing bullets and it will melt. Case closed, there are no real social consequences to 3D printed firearms, only an opportunity for gun control advocates to make a fuss.
This perspective seems to overlook how quickly new markets beget both buyers and sellers, and how quickly innovation occurs — including technological change — when there is demand.
Take the example of recreational marijuana. Since Colorado legalized pot in 2014, an entire industry has developed selling an impressive variety of cannabis products, from edibles to cooking oil to topical ointments. There are even websites that provide descriptions and product ratings just as Consumer Reports rates TVs and appliances.