Printed AR15 lower – here’s where the law gets hazy?
I’ve often wondered what it would take to build my own AK from a jig recently – mostly ’cause I think it’d be cool to understand how to build a fairly destructive firearm from a piece of sheet metal, and because I like the idea that I can supposedly build firearms for my personal use at home. Legally. I hope.
But how would the ATF view all the tools and shop setup necessary to build out an AR lower via printing technology? Thingiverse.com is currently hosting an .stl file that would allow someone with proper printing gear to crank a composite lower out apparently.
The Lower Receiver is the frame that holds together all the other pieces of the firearm. In the States, all the other pieces can be purchased without a permit – over the counter or through the post. The Lower Receiver is the only part which requires a background check or any other kind of paperwork before purchase.
Typically this part is made of aluminium. A rifle with a Lower Receiver made of plastic can be perfectly functional.
Apparently this file has been posted to test out Thingiverse’s stance on weaponry and is causing a bit of a dust-up over there:
What about the other components? What about a high-capacity magazine? What about parts for a full-auto conversion? At what point does Thingiverse classify something as a weapon? Personally, King Ludd does not care where the line is drawn, but he thinks it would be nice if Thingiverse clarified where that line is.
I honestly don’t know what it takes to machine a metal AR lower, but we’ve all seen composite lowers that function fine – Bushmaster and Plumcrazy come to mind. I’d be super-interested to see if this really would produce a functional firearm (although I don’t want to be the one to test it…)
Categorised as: Shooting