House set to vote on bill banning plastic guns amid 3D printing worries

   There was an interesting article about plastic weapons that said: The House is expected to vote this week on renewing a 25-year-old law that bans the production of undetectable guns, in an age when new technology could open the door to at-home production of plastic weapons. The law is supposed to expire on Dec. 9, and lawmakers are divided on whether to renew it. But the measure to renew it would prohibit the manufacture of plastic weapons, which can’t be detected when going through security at airports and other metal detectors. There has been growing concern over the emergence of 3D printing, which can now create some operable plastic guns and other weapons. 

   The House wa supposed to vote late Monday on the bill, but there were setbacks so they will vote on Tuesday. The bill will need a two-thirds majority to pass the House. The Undetectable Firearms Act, which was first enacted in 1988 and reauthorized in 2003, makes it illegal to “manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer or receive” any firearm that’s undetectable by metal detectors and X-ray machines.The National Rifle Association has not publicly stated where it stands on the proposed extension, but Gun Owners of America, a smaller gun rights group, told The New York Times that the extension is unnecessary because 3D printing technology is not widely available. 

  “They’re not going to be in Kinkos,” Larry Pratt, the group's executive director, told the newspaper. “And at the moment, they can’t fire that many rounds. It’s just not something that we’re going to be dealing with anytime soon.” Schumer, however, has said the technology of 3D printing has advanced to the point anyone with $1,000 and an Internet connection can access the plastic parts that can be fitted into a gun. Those firearms can't be detected by metal detectors or X-ray machines. The senator says that means anyone can download a gun cheaply, then take the weapons anywhere, including high-security areas.

   I'm not for con control, I do think people should have the right to bear arms, but I do think plastic weapons are a little different, seeing as they're undetected by X-ray machines and can be taken anywhere. So It's understandable that it's scaring people, especially important people. But on the other hand, if someone is planning on killing a person.. I'm pretty sure one law won't stop them from breaking another, such as murder. But seeing as plastic guns aren't really necessary to anyone, I see no reason why banning them is a bad thing.