It’s every parent’s nightmare: a machine that even a child could use to create a dangerous, untraceable weapon. 3D printing news has been dominated by reports of printable AK47s, handguns and more, but is this an example of media hysteria, or should we be printing our bullet-proof vests now?

The answer, as is usually the case, is a bit of both. The 3D printed gun is real, although it’s worth pointing out that it doesn’t include ammunition, and that it can only be made on the most expensive varieties of 3D printer. Of course, as technology progresses, there will come a time when every home has a printer capable of creating a gun.

3D Guns raise an important Ethical Questions

For many analysts, the problem is similar to parental controls on websites. By programming printers to recognise the properties of guns and reject such designs, there is a mechanism for controlling this potentially dangerous aspect of 3D printing, although as any Apple exec can tell you, it’s only a matter of time before any secure system is hacked.

There may be no easy solution to this problem, and discussion of the issue is heating up. If you’ve got an opinion on 3D printed guns, let us know in the comment section. We’d love to hear your thoughts.