News broke a little less than a week ago that starting August 1st downloadable guns will now be of access. According to the Instagram account, Everytown for Gun Safety (@everytown) people will be able to download files that can be directly sent to 3D printers to print guns on demand.
When I first saw a post about this I thought it was a joke made in poor taste. But leave it to the American government to shatter any hope of mine that this was a joke. According to USA Today due to a settlement earlier this year between the State Department and Texas-based Defense Distributed, the non-profit will be able to do this legally.
Though there is a multitude of problems with a 3D-printed gun, the scary part comes into play when you realize that anyone can have access to downloading the blueprints. Say goodbye to the very limited background checks that were already in place. The other huge issue is that these guns can be made with plastic instead of metal. This means that they would be undetectable to a metal detector.
I know that this news might make people feel helpless, but there is something you can do. Please call your local representatives, text OMG to 644-33 and/or send an email to our Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, here. Make noise. Do not let this be what America turns into.
Though a right to arms is in the Constitution that does not mean people should be able to have access to guns at the click of a button.