ban ban pow pow

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Ban Ban Pow Pow
As 3D printers are becoming more prominent in the world today, it's met with many challenges, with one of them being the lack of strict regulation on 3D printed firearms. The inadequate supervision over 3D printing technology can potentially render any attempts at gun control law obsolete, as well as producing extreme effects on security (McCutcheon). Numerous scientific sources regards 3D printing as a technological breakthrough, supported by the numerous articles and news report in which that shows the wide range of capabilities within 3D printing, such as printing prosthetics, stem cells, and "a human liver that can last 40 days" (Ranaldi). However, when it comes to using 3D printers to produce firearms, concerns over copyrights and safety arise. Due to the simple production, distribution and easy disguises of these firearms, 3D printed firearms should be banned.
To understand the conflicting issues brought about by this new technology, one must know the basic functions and concepts of 3D printing. The key idea of 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) is "using computer-aided design (CAD) software to design a three-dimensional image of what you want to produce" (Ranaldi). Once you have the CAD software, 3D printer purchased from manufactures, and a design file, all that's left is to purchase the material needed for your design. Although the process described seems very costly, some advantages from 3D printing such as greatly reduced production time, low waste production and easy accessibility makes up for much of the initial start up costs. In short, " [Additive manufacturing] simplifies the manufacturing process by building pre-assembled systems: a clock with all its gears in place" (Haxel, 5)...

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...ho will be at fault?
3D printing have lots of practical uses, however, lack of effective regulation on 3D printed firearms could have detrimental effects in the world today. Although the innovation of 3D printing opens up unlimited possibilities for useful creations ranging from prosthetics to stem cells, such futuristic technology should not be used to create firearms due to the lack of a solid regulation on 3D printed weapons, as well as the potential to drastically increase the number of criminal activities. It’s best to utilize such technology for scientific advances than personal usage as it can result in major efforts to change the current gun laws to have an effect on 3D printed firearms. The inadequate supervision over 3D printing technology can potentially render any attempts at gun control law obsolete, as well as producing extreme effects on security.

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