Gun control may soon be a very moot point. Take for example, the classic AR-15 (M4/M16 equivalent). You can buy nearly every component for this weapon via uncontrolled mechanisms today. The “controlled”, if you will, component is the lower receiver which is stamped by serial number and ultimately considered the weapon. An American gunsmith has taken to technology and voila, printed himself a lower receiver from a standard 3D printer using resin. The lower receiver was mated with the appropriate components and a fully-functional AR-15 was born. THe digital design to replicate the work exists on ThingVerse where people can expand on the work … like add full auto?

This article was edited after publication by the author on 30 Jul 2012. View changes.