Original image from ghostgunner.net
3D-Printing (Additive Manufacturing) is a really trending technology that can and likely will have a major influence on the future of industrial production (and business models) as well as chances to DIY produce goods that previously had to be ordered at a high price from local crafters (like your favorite italian restaurant).
However, with that really bright future and the perspective to make another Star Trek dream a reality (the replicator), there comes a downside: You can not only print spare parts to repair your broken laundry machine but also such objects that should probably be more regulated.
Amongst them are firearms of all kinds. To those that monitor the 3D-Printing scene Cody Wilson’s 3D printed guns are old – although still worrying – news. However, now the man has gone one step further, offering a specially designed CNC mill that can produce the most critical part of a modern assault rifle, called the lower reciver. It is also the most regulated part, for a good reason. The Verge has the full story but from that alone it becomes aparent that with the new technologies that are becoming available for private households, new problems will arise alongside the many new chances.
