Rep Calls For Ban on 3D Printed Firearms

Hey, did Cory Doctorow call this one or what!  Early in Beam Me Up's run (episode 38) I ran a story call Print Crime by Cory.  It told the dark tale of copyrights that extended to 3d printers.  In most cases even the printers themselves were an arrestable offence! Not to mention many desperately needed products which copyright leaches had tired up for their own devices.  

Well here is where a scenario like Doctorow's might start.   No matter how you feel about assault weapons or their ability to be printed (they work, but are only able to fire a handful of rounds before disintegrating. ) really isn't the point.  It's the inclination to take this kind of action without fully understanding the ramifications   or for that matter implementation!

I wonder even if that covers all of the possibilities.  This is an insidiously slippery slide that once ventured upon can only, in my humble opinion, lead to disaster.  

The technology has proven itself wildly valuable in many instances, but wholesale legislation could ruin the device's potential.  

I know it's a bit of a stretch, but thoughtful consideration before wholesale legislation is, I would think, the order of the day here.

Least that is what I think... Hit the link below to read the Boing Boing article and the ban Rep Steve Israel is calling for.

Article link here

Woolworths ban lightsabers

British supermarket chain Woolworths has restricted the sale of toy lightsabers to people over the age of 18, concerned that the toys could be mistaken for real weapons.

My question is pretty obvious...ummmm WHAT REAL WEAPON??? Tell me the last time you saw a weapon that emitted a 3 foot coherent light beam of such high intensity that it could cut through just about anything? If you are going to ban something that resembles a weapon shouldn't it at least be a REAL weapon?!

admirable, even governmental watchdog the Trading Standards Institute thinks it may be going a little bit too far:

Some companies are going the whole hog and are banning the sale of any weapon-style products to anyone under the age of 18, even if they are clearly toys like these. I think it’s a bit over the top in this instance, but it really is up to the individual companies and stores to set their own rules, they can sell what they want to who they want.