Technology vs. Guns: The Unseen Side Effect Gun control is a topic that is at the tip of every politicians tongue in today’s society. With mass shooting seemingly on the rise it is no wonder why many are in an almost frantic mental state to find the cure for this pandemic. Any sane person can tell you that it is a great idea to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and the mentally unstable, but the question remains of how? With the aid of computers and a mass network of online information, many pro gun control advocates are pushing for laws that require more stringent background checks with the use of these online databases. But what if these same technologies that may help us regulate the ownership of firearms, also lead to a more easily access to firearms in the future? And will more laws for gun ownership make the country a safer place? First and foremost, do gun control laws work? According to the statistics it would seem to be so. But in order to grasp the issue fully, it is imperative to first look at the existing gun control laws that are in effect. There are numerous laws both at the federal and the state level restricting the sale, purchase and use of guns. Although they may vary from state to state there are basic federal laws that are in place nationwide. These laws include that no person convicted of a crime can own a gun and also that a person must be 21 or older to purchase a handgun. One of the laws having the most profound impact recently is the 1993 Brady Handgun Control Act which is now in effect in more than half of the states. This act requires a waiting period for the purchase of a handgun as well as background check system to ensure against the possession of guns by criminals. The effects of current gun control laws have been extensive and far-reaching though they don’t always hinder people from acquiring a firearm. The Brady Handgun Control Act has made it increasingly more difficult and demanding process to purchase and own a gun. Gun control supporters say this is not enough. Although firearm related incidents have declined since its enactment, tougher laws and more thorough background checks are needed otherwise more acts of firearm violence will continue to plague the nation. Unfortunately for the war on guns, through the use of the internet and a new seemingly limitless technology known as three dimensional printing, more laws and stricter background checks may not be enough to deny certain people access to firearms. First of all, what is three dimensional printing? A 3D printer has the capabilities of taking a two dimensional blueprint or CAD file “Computer Aided Design” from a computer and then transforming that blueprint into a useable 3 dimensional object for practical use. Three dimensional printers often vary in size; scope and technology due to the fact that several individual companies utilize different resources and machinery to design and create them. Although individual companies develop different designs, all 3D printers utilize multiple technologies to achieve similar effects. The foremost differences are the size of fabrication, end product, and also affordability and material strength. Most 3D printers encompass a tube that lays out molten plastics or other materials such as metal grinds. Layer upon layer the printer works in a ground up fashion until the intended design of the product is complete. By using this process, the printer can create nearly any product imagined. Cody R Wilson, a 27 year old former law student from Austin Texas has taken this technology and put it to the test. Wilson formed a non-profit organization named defense distributed. Under the banner of this organization Wilson launched his so called wiki weapon project, which focused all of its resources on designing a blueprint for a firearm. This blueprint or CAD file can be downloaded from the internet and printed at any location that has a 3d printer. During spring of 2013, Wilson and defense distributed achieved what they had set out for. They created a CAD design for a single shot pistol which they called the “liberator”. Although there are limitations in regarding to the structural integrity of creating a complete firearm with the use of current 3d printing materials, Wilson was able to fire a single bullet with the plastic gun. In fact, only a single piece of the firearm was not created with the printer. This piece is the firing pin, which is the metal needle like pin that strikes the actual bullet to make the weapon fire. Shortly after the complete and functional design of the liberator was released to the public for download, anti gun politicians began the proposal of banning the manufacture and use of 3D printed firearms. The reasoning behind the ban is that it clashes with the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988, which prohibits the import, sell, ship, deliver, transfer or receiving of any firearm that is not detectable by walkthrough metal detectors. The unfortunate problem that politicians have had with passing this ban of 3D printed firearms is that you now have the ability to manufacture these weapons at home. The ability to create this weapon within the comfort of one’s home was not foreseen and therefore was not indicated in the current law. Wilson with the help of the 3D printing technology has almost completely revamped what government officials thought was possible in the means of gun control. Once a file is on the internet, it can be downloaded, shared and re-uploaded by anyone that has access to the World Wide Web. This can be felt drastically in a conversation between VICE TV and Wilson where he states “the real utopia is the idea that we can go back to the 1990s and everything will be perfect forever. All we are saying is that no you can’t… now there is the internet”. Although politicians are attempting to regulate or even ban 3D printing due to the ability to manufacture firearms and the subsequent dodging of imposed gun control laws; an entire technology cannot be destroyed or banned simply because of an unseen side affect. There are seldom technological advancements that do not include a single side affect. Computers and the internet for example have had numerous benefits and also unwanted side effects. Their use has greatly reduced the time it takes for international data exchange and communication. But it has also been at the forefront identity theft and gathering information for malicious use. Does that mean that we should ban the internet? No it does not because the benefits of that technology greatly outweigh the negatives. This is precisely the reason politicians cannot ban Wilsons wiki weapon project. The monster has already been created, and in this case, cannot be destroyed now. Although more gun regulation is a fantastic idea, the fact remains that our American society is already deeply embedded with gun culture. Anyway and any law that keeps firearms out of the hands of violent criminals is a absolute necessity, and any sane person would agree with that, but the truth of the matter is that if there is a will, there is most defiantly a way. With the ever growing advances in technology and information sharing, keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally unstable may seem easy at first glance, but I fear that our society with the help of the vary technologies we utilizes to regulate guns, has crossed its Rubicon and will not succeed in stronger gun regulation without a complete overhaul of the system.