3D Printed Bullets, Latest Gun Control Nightmare

New 3D printed bullets have made it even more challenging for gun control supporters to corral the rise of homemade arsenals as a recent YouTube video uploaded to the “Taofledermaus” channel this morning demonstrates.

The channel is operated by Jeff Heeszel, and the video has proven that with an $800 consumer model 3D printer and about an hour of your time, you can create a shotgun shell almost as deadly as the ones you can buy by the box at any gun show.

Okay, so maybe it doesn’t inflict the same level of damage as one of the professionally produced bullets, but if you find yourself on the receiving end, it’s going to make for a pretty bad day.

Heeszel and friend Tony Griffy modeled the effects of their 3D printed bullets in the video below.

The results: Griffy’s first shot went through a dart board and the gas canister supporting it. The second shot penetrated a thick wooden plank and ate into the wooden post behind it. The third design put a nasty little dent in a mannequin head but wasn’t quite as damaging as the first two.

Bottom line: they get the job done.

Along with the Liberator, which many of Heeszel’s videos will show you how to make, homemade arsenal technology has now been proven effective in firearm and ammunition form — by people like you and me.

And people have already started to download patterns for their future firearms. According to a January report, more than 150,000 patterns were downloaded immediately following a pro-gun control speech from President Obama.

Meanwhile the 3D printer technology is still in the fledgling stages and likely to grow more advanced (if it’s anything like the Internet) in the next 10 to 20 years, probably much sooner.

Here’s a look at Heeszel and Griffy’s efforts:

In an interview with Wired, Heeszel said the bullets were fired from about 25 to 30 feet away. And though he seems impressed on the video, he still admits that these early shells are “crappy little rounds.”

Griffy added that their 3D printed bullets still don’t have “a fraction of the force that a real slug would have.” Then again, they used the Solidoodle 3 to produce the ammo — not exactly industrial strength or a “fraction of” what will be available in a few years.

Both men describe themselves as hobbyists and have no plans to mass produce their results. What do you think the rise of 3D printed bullets and handguns will mean for the future of gun control legislation?