Some pro-gun organizations were supportive of the bill, including the NSSF (a lobby group of gun retailers and gun manufacturers ... not hard to see why they were pro the bill).<p>Ultimately, the bill would have significantly increased manufacturing costs, banned many existing products and have done absolutely nothing for national security.<p>Guns require metal parts. A gun with a polymer barrel is at worst a very inaccurate single shot device, more likely it is a hand grenade.<p>Currently manufacturers of polymer framed guns dope the polymer with a substance (I forget what it is) that makes them visible in xray scanners.
This would be a stupid and utterly inconsequential law based on fear mongering. There are already laws against unlicensed gun smithery, and already laws against completely polymer or ceramic guns, there's no need to add more. Additionally, if someone wants to make an improvised firearm they can just go to home depot, spend less than $100 and build something that is far more capable than what can be produced from a multi-thousand dollar 3D printer.
Building firearms for your own personal use is legal in the US if you are not a prohibited person. Technically you can even sell one if you decide you don't want it.<p>Check out this AK-47 made from a shovel <a href="http://bit.ly/1jGxsFu" rel="nofollow">http://bit.ly/1jGxsFu</a><p>I don't get why 3D printing is receiving special attention compared to CNC machining or ye olden Bridgeport. If you want to make a Liberator it wouldn't take a hacker much time to figure out a way to do it with a minimum of tools.<p>Think about it. It's just subtracting material from steel.
I honestly don't get why way make such a big issue of what the gun is made off. Accept that guns can now be 100% plastic and you can't do anything about it and just improve the security in places where guns can't enter. Basically metal detectors are obsolete and you need to find an alternate solution. Legislation is not the solution here.
The bill was passed, and the amendment was introduced just before the bill was to be voted on. Passing that amendment could have put the law in jeopardy of not passing as there was already the clean bill from the House. Schumer should have introduced that amendment weeks ago. He and Grassley have agreed to address that problem later, together.<p>It is important to note that the bill as passed does make it illegal to have an undetectable firearm, so a firearm with a removeable metal pin is still illegal. Schumer's amendment really only adds an additional crime--which is certainly a good thing but.
I'm happy to let people make these dangerous little handheld explosives; there's no need to ban them. The only people they'll wind up hurting with a crappy 3D-printed gun is themselves.