3D Printed Guns Topic of Bulletin from Homeland Security to Law Enforcement

3D Printed Guns Topic of Bulletin from Homeland Security to Law Enforcement

  • May 24, 2013

Well, looks like 3D printed guns are making the headlines again. This time, even the Department of Homeland Security seems hopeless when it comes to preventing 3D printed guns from being made, not to mention making it past security checkpoints. The department fears that 3D printed gun control efforts will be useless should their manufacture become more widespread, making it “impossible” to stop or even control.

A couple of days ago, a department-distributed bulletin arrived at state and federal law enforcement agencies, stating that 3D printed guns “poses public safety risks” and are likely beyond the current reach of regulators and regulations.

According to one law enforcement source, “The only security procedure to catch [3D printed guns] is a pat down,” since magnetometers could fail to detect them.

3D Printed Guns Topic of Bulletin from Homeland Security to Law EnforcementThe bulletin specifically honed in on a nonprofit company, Defense Distributed, started by University of Texas law student, Cody Wilson, who has not only successfully printed a 3D gun, which he nicknamed “The Liberator,” but fired it as well. And, of course, Wilson felt the need to share, so plans for how to make “The Liberator” were available for free download, until the U.S. State Department told the organization to stop sharing the file, but only after the plans were downloaded approximately 100,000 times.

Containing phrases like “poses public safety risks” and “limiting access may be impossible,” neither of which sound too confident, the bulletin mentions the following concerns:

  • Though prohibited by law, the metal insert may be deliberately omitted;
  • Future designs could entirely eliminate metal components;
  • 3D guns can be made without serial numbers, which hinders ballistic testing; and
  • Improvements in technology leading to cheaper 3D printers could make printed guns easier to acquire.

Plus, even if there is legislation in place that bans 3D printed guns, online distribution of digital files is difficult to control. Think about illegally traded music, movies and software.

So, my fellow Americans, I pose this question: “are we ready for pat downs?”

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/23/govt-memo-warns-3d-printed-guns-may-be-impossible-to-stop/

Featured

  • AI Is Now the Leading Cybersecurity Concern for Security, IT Leaders

    Arctic Wolf recently published findings from its State of Cybersecurity: 2025 Trends Report, offering insights from a global survey of more than 1,200 senior IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across 15 countries. Conducted by Sapio Research, the report captures the realities, risks, and readiness strategies shaping the modern security landscape. Read Now

  • Analysis of AI Tools Shows 85 Percent Have Been Breached

    AI tools are becoming essential to modern work, but their fast, unmonitored adoption is creating a new kind of security risk. Recent surveys reveal a clear trend – employees are rapidly adopting consumer-facing AI tools without employer approval, IT oversight, or any clear security policies. According to Cybernews Business Digital Index, nearly 90% of analyzed AI tools have been exposed to data breaches, putting businesses at severe risk. Read Now

  • Software Vulnerabilities Surged 61 Percent in 2024, According to New Report

    Action1, a provider of autonomous endpoint management (AEM) solutions, today released its 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report, revealing a 61% year-over-year surge in discovered software vulnerabilities and a 96% spike in exploited vulnerabilities throughout 2024, amid an increasingly aggressive threat landscape. Read Now

  • Motorola Solutions Named Official Safety Technology Supplier of the Ryder Cup through 2027

    Motorola Solutions has today been named the Official Safety Technology Supplier of the 2025 and 2027 Ryder Cup, professional golf’s renowned biennial team competition between the United States and Europe. Read Now

  • Evolving Cybersecurity Strategies

    Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to human-focused security approaches, as two out of three (68%) cybersecurity incidents involve people. Threat actors are shifting from targeting networks and systems to hacking humans via social engineering methods, living off human errors as their most prevalent attack vector. Whether manipulated or not, human cyber behavior is leveraged to gain backdoor access into systems. This mainly results from a lack of employee training and awareness about evolving attack techniques employed by malign actors. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.