Editorial Board

America’s Gun Problem Is About to Go 3-D

A new era of DIY weapons manufacturing is right around the corner.

July 30, 2018 at 11:00 AM UTC

By The Editorial Board

The Editorial Board publishes the views of the editors across a range of national and global affairs.

It looks like a toy, but the bullets are real.
Photographer: belekekin/iStockphoto

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Many U.S. states have been making progress against gun violence, passing l aws that make it harder for the most dangerous people to get hold of firearms. Those gains are in jeopardy thanks to new technology and Washington’s failure to grapple with its implications.

Last month the State Department quietly settled a lawsuit brought by a gun entrepreneur who promotes the private manufacture of untraceable firearms. Cody Wilson, the founder of Defense Distributed, had been barred from publishing online computer files that can be used with a 3-D printer to create firearms. The State Department had imposed the ban using its export-control powers. The settlement allows Wilson to go ahead.