About this Event
Safe 3D Printing Workshop
The number of 3D-printed firearms recovered by the New York Police Department soared from just four in 2022 to over 100 in 2024. These are ghost guns manufactured outside the standard firearm dealer process, meaning they are acquired without a criminal background check and they can’t be traced if they are found at crime scenes. If they don’t have metal parts, they may be invisible to the metal detectors in many schools, theaters and airports. And the public safety threat from 3D printing extends beyond traditional firearms to easily printed “machinegun conversion devices” (MCDs): small plastic parts, visually similar to benign objects, that convert semiautomatic handguns into fully automatic weapons firing at a rate of 1,200 rounds per minute. As printer technology has rapidly improved and prices have fallen in recent years, DIY gunmaking is suddenly broadly available—with dangerous consequences. This year, New York and California enacted new laws to address this growing threat, mandating that 3D printer makers embed firearm- and MCD-blocking technology into their printers.
This afternoon explores the question of 3D printed firearms from a public health, engineering, legal and social perspective. Solomon Diamond (Dartmouth College) will introduce SafePrint, a consortium which brings together legal experts, engineers, academics and corporate members of the 3D printing industry. Victor Cardona, a former NYPD detective and security consultant, will speak on the dangers of 3D-printed firearms; Charles Branas, from the Columbia Scientific Union for the Reduction of Gun Violence (SURGE) on firearm violence from a public-health perspective; Thomas Chittum (Chittum Law) on the current law around 3D-printed guns; and Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun-violence-prevention non-profit, on recent legislative efforts on the 3D-printing of guns.
____________
Speakers & Agenda
____________
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: The Columbia Morningside campus is open to the Columbia community. If you do not have an active CUID, the deadline to register is at 12:00 PM the day before the event. External guests will receive a QR code by email to enter campus. Thank you for understanding!
Event venue & nearby stays
Columbia University Davis Auditorium, 530 W 120th St, New York, NY 10027, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.