California’s 3D Printer Law Would Criminalize Open Source, Enshittify The 3D Printing Space
https://www.techdirt.com/2026/04/27/californias-3d-printer-law-would-criminalize-open-source-enshittify-the-3d-printing-space/
405 points · 33 comments · view on lemmy.world
33 Comments
CosmoNova@lemmy.world · 90 pts · 108d
That was the idea. Tech companies don‘t want us to have nice things because it makes their products look all the more shitty. And so they attack anything open source that they don‘t directly benefit from. Some investors are probably seeing the shitty ink printer business and hope they can degrade 3D printing to that degree too. They take any opportunity to fuck the small people for a chance of making an easy buck.
_haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 107d
Meanwhile, you can go to the hardware store and make yourself a shotgun for less than the cost of a fast food meal but nobody is talking about regulating pipes.
Doomsider@lemmy.world · -8 pts · 108d
This has nothing to do with the tech industry. This is the firearms industry 100%.
gian@lemmy.grys.it · 22 pts · 107d
If the firearms industry think that a 3d printed gun is good enough to compete with them, they are selling shitty products.
It is more plausible that they want to control the 3d printed guns because they are not able (or willing) to stop the people who want to commit some kind of crimes and cannot buy a gun from building one (since, as I understand, to buy the components it seems you have not to undergo a backgroubd check).
Doomsider@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 107d
You think we are at a endpoint with 3d printing technology? As technology improves the ability to make better parts will keep increasing.
You are right, it is about control.
BCsven@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 107d
There are 3d metal printers that do stainless, inconel, H13, D2. They are expensive but that price will come down over time
gian@lemmy.grys.it · 1 pts · 106d
True, but to design a barrel for a gun is way more difficult. Even now you can have a barrel made from a metal shop (or with a relatively cheap cnc mill) if you really want.
gian@lemmy.grys.it · 2 pts · 106d
No, we are not at a endpoint even if I don't think there is much more to be done that can improve the tech in some revolutionary way.
mctoasterson@reddthat.com · 74 pts · 108d
California needs to wise up and realize that you can make functional firearms out of $20 worth of hardware store parts. They can't stop the signal.
Shinzo Abe got his cheeks clapped with a homemade gun in a country with roughly zero legal civilian firearms, and a violent crime rate of less than 1 per 100,000.
Can't stop the signal.
floofloof@lemmy.ca · 20 pts · 108d
They probably know this perfectly well. But there are corporations and their lobbyists to think of, and they'd much prefer it if ordinary people weren't able to build their own devices and spare parts, but instead had to buy them at inflated prices.
ewo@piefed.ca · 8 pts · 108d
Unexpected firefly :)
mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 108d
You want California to be logical when it comes to firearms? You're going to be waiting awhile buddy
ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online · 4 pts · 107d
Best part about the Abe story is that there is no evidence his shooter resorted to using a 3D printer or any 3D printed part.
GirthBrooksPLO@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 107d
P.A. Luty's expedient homemade firearms
Mpatch@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 106d
10/10 its probably easier faster and more reliable to make a gun from shit I can find at homedepot. Hell you could even make it use what ever you want for ammo and propellent.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 43 pts · 108d
What they want is not about guns. It's about checking all your prints to make sure you are not printing something you can buy retail, or an overpriced plastic appliance part.
Fuck BAMBU labs, let's get back to air gapped printers.
Gumus@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 13 pts · 108d
Prusa actually sells an official airgapped Core One for Critical Infrastructure.
zeejoo@thelemmy.club · 18 pts · 108d
"request a quote"
Ya I'm gonna say that's a $2500+ printer
filcuk@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 106d
It is, but the reason for not showing the price is because it's tailored to customer security requirements.
Retail is $2K, and there's a lot more that goes into the crit infra edition, as well as paperwork and accreditations.
zeejoo@thelemmy.club · 2 pts · 106d
I'm not saying it's not worth the price, just that it's not a ready made replacement for the average consumer.
gian@lemmy.grys.it · 4 pts · 107d
Nah, if you're right, you should also ban the sale of any type of bench milling machine (manual or CNC): anything I can 3D print, I can probably mill just as easily
thanksforallthefish@literature.cafe · 3 pts · 108d
Errm read the article and don't see any mention of Bambu - what did they do ?
sorghum@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 108d
https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/bambu-labs-firmware-update-controversy/
felykiosa@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 108d
Well to be fair as a REALLY big fan of 3dprinting bambulab printers are extremely reliable.But.. Yeah no one need to know who I am and what I print
_haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 107d
laughs in PRUSA
saltnotsugar@lemmy.world · 41 pts · 108d
“Scans for 3D printed firearm” yeah okay. It’s totally going to detect that with 100% accuracy.
bcgm3@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 108d
Same basic technology as Hotdog or Not Hotdog.
hoohoohoot@fedinsfw.app · 25 pts · 108d
How about we take California's law and push it somewhere else?
_haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works · 19 pts · 107d
Idiots who don't understand 3D printers pass laws regulating 3D printers to supposedly prevent gun violence. Gun violence unaffected. News at 11.
filcuk@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 106d
Replace 3D printers with x, choose gun violence or child safety - any law undermining our freedom and creating surveillance these days
reksas@sopuli.xyz · 15 pts · 107d
time for underground 3d printers
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 108d
I wonder how many "Ban Boaty!" t-shirts I can sell to propenents of this.
HiTekRedNek@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 107d
It's almost like a strong, centralized government with power over our everyday lives can be easily subverted into doing things we don't really want it to do.
Huh
Weird.