Summary

Americans are posting videos about 3D-printed guns on the Chinese video app RedNote, despite the content being illegal in China.

While some users are uncomfortable with the topic, others see it as an opportunity for cultural exchange.

The future of TikTok remains uncertain as the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the ban.

    • @Hathaway@lemmy.zip
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      272 months ago

      Electro chemical machining can make a barrel.

      But, idk how any of what you said makes them a “meme”. You can buy a barrel online for cheap, also ammo, and I don’t have to go through a government check. That’s what a lot of these people want to avoid.

      • @scoobford@lemmy.zip
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        252 months ago

        In most countries, the barrel or other pressures bearing parts are the regulated piece. We are the weird ones for regulating receivers instead.

        • @Hathaway@lemmy.zip
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          02 months ago

          Well, the article references Americans, I’m American, so okay?

          Europeans can also get guns mailed to their front door, are we just comparing gun laws?

          • @Milk_Sheikh@lemm.ee
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            92 months ago

            Europeans can also get guns mailed to their front door, are we just comparing gun laws?

            I mean, there’s a lot of context surrounding licensing and pre-approval to get that mail order heater in Europe. Local laws vary, yadda yadda

            And if you collect old guns and have a C&R license, you too can get guns delivered to your door in America.

            • @RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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              42 months ago

              In the UK you can also purchase a pistol with bitcoin on the dark web and have it delivered to a train station locker, but that is not legal at all.

            • @Hathaway@lemmy.zip
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              02 months ago

              Oh yeah, 1000%. Also, with a C&R license, you’re not legally purchasing a “firearm”. It’s a curio or relic, but yeah, point still stands.

              Also, none of that has anything to do with the discussion at hand, which was sorta my point.

              • @nerdyshades@lemmy.world
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                12 months ago

                I have my 03-FFL, and “Curio & Relic” is a classification that firearms can fall into, defined as firearms manufactured 50-years or more ago. Legally, by definition, you are still purchasing a firearm. You’ve just had more background checks to bypass some of the rules in most states about transfers, if the firearm you are buying qualifies as a “Curio & Relic”.

              • @IndustryStandard@lemmy.world
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                22 months ago

                Okay so a lot of work to create the barrel, but the gun still takes 9mm ammunition. And if someone in China can get their hands on ammo they can get their hands on a gun.

                • @Hathaway@lemmy.zip
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                  12 months ago

                  Okay? I don’t know what you’re arguing here? 3D printed guns aren’t a meme. Some don’t require any regulated parts. I don’t care if the average Chinese person can or will get their hands on one. You can just say you didn’t know what you were talking about when you said 3d printed guns are a “meme”. It’s not that deep

      • @kent_eh@lemmy.ca
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        32 months ago

        Electro chemical machining can make a barrel.

        Yes, but that’s not 3d printing any more.

        It’s a separate process requiring separate tools, materials and skills.

        • @Jumpingspiderman@lemmy.world
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          32 months ago

          But you can make anything with that additional process. SO it’s going to be difficult for a government to lock down those additional processes.

          • mycelium underground
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            2 months ago

            I can make barrels and stuff like that on a milling machine and a lathe. Not just shitty parts but better than most big manufacturers put out. Government can’t control manufacturing.

            Still not 3d printing.

            edit: Typo

      • @IndustryStandard@lemmy.world
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        02 months ago

        Barrels require rifling. It is fairly difficult to manually create the groove as it requires a lot of tooling. Not impossible. But not something people will do to create a single gun. Only the barrel would be more work than assembling the rest of the gun.

        Purchased ammo and other parts are specific to the US. 3D printed guns give people the illusion that they can make the entire gun using a 3d printer and off the shelf consumer parts. But most 3d printed guns are made by buying all the required metal parts for guns and printing out the exterior.

    • @chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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      262 months ago

      The part you can easily print, however, is the receiver.

      The receiver is the part that’s legally a firearm. While I think it’s neat I can customize my firearms, I do acknowledge that someone who is prohibited from owning a gun can very easily print a receiver and order the rest of the parts from Palmetto State Armory to get a perfectly-functional firearm without any background check being performed.

      I also don’t know the solution to the problem though. As 3D printing, desktop CNC, and other forms of DIY manufacturing improve in quality and decrease in price, it will be very hard to regulate home-brew weapons.

    • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 🏆
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      2 months ago

      You could print an entire functional gun if you only intend for it to be fired successfully once. And no shit they require ammo. Ammo is easier to source than filament for the 3D printer. I can’t walk into a Walmart and buy printer filament; but I can get ammo.

          • @IndustryStandard@lemmy.world
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            -32 months ago

            A meme anywhere in the world. Except for the US where guns are rampant.

            3D printed anything implies not needing specialized parts to create said thing.

            • mycelium underground
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              12 months ago

              Heat set thread inserts are specialized parts, but in many many 3d models for printing.

              That said your point still stands, I’m just being pedantic.

        • @Telodzrum@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Idk man when I was living abroad it was pretty easy to get a gun and a license for it in most places. The real difference is how long it takes to get the license — months to a year instead of a few days for the NCIS check.

          Once you have the license, ammo was easy to purchase.