I believe in the Constitution of the United States of America. I believe in a strict, yet reasonable interpretation of the Constitution.
I am pro-second amendment in the way that I believe that guns should not be outlawed completely and that we cannot amend the Constitution, but that we need more legislation per state to dictate what is allowed within that state. I believe in my rights, the Constitution, and the rights of the individual states. With that being said, I recognize that 3D printed guns are a disaster waiting to happen.
3D printed guns are the biggest story dominating American media right now. Recently, it was decided that the distribution of the blueprints to make 3D guns, that aren't against the 1988 federal law against undetectable firearms, should be halted due to the concerns that surround 3D printed guns. These guns are untraceable, unregistered, and dangerous to everyone involved. Anyone with access to a 3D printer and the blueprints to make the guns can then have access to a lethal weapon. These guns are more than a "gun-rights" issue, they are a safety issue that should concern all of us.
The majority of guns in the United States are registered, documented, and all have restrictions on them. If you are a violent felon, you cannot own a gun. If you are under 18 or 21 (depending on the state), you cannot own a gun.
We have laws in this country against the unlawful possession and use of a firearm. We also have restrictions on the type of weapons that you can own. With the correct blueprints, 3D printers can create any type of weapon you tell it to.
Of course, there is a little construction that has to go on after you print it and some easily accessible parts that you need, but it is possible to create one of the federally banned weapons with a 3D printer. Compliant with a reasonable yet strict interpretation of Constitution, it would make sense for these weapons and blueprints to be banned as well.
The pushback against banning these blueprints and weapons scares me more than the possibility of these guns being made everywhere. There are terrorists in this country; but more and more frequently, we are seeing that they are homegrown. It's bad enough that we have children firing guns at their peers, but now you want to make it even easier for someone to get their hands on one?
Many supporters of the release of these new blueprints, including the NRA, claim that the guns aren't illegal because they are detectable and that halting the release of the blueprints is against the first amendment. Believe it or not, we also have federal laws that restrict the first amendment.
We have laws that limit free speech if it is speech that can cause actual harm to others. For example, you cannot yell "fire" in a crowded theatre if there is now fire. The first amendment protects freedom of expression, but it does not protect dangerous speech. If releasing the blueprints for 3D printed guns is not dangerous speech, then what is?
In the end, this is an issue that shouldn't even be an issue. This isn't pro-gun versus anti-gun. This isn't liberal versus conservative. This is simply about protecting the public and preserving law and order in this country.
