Don't panic about 3D gun printing. Yet. In Cody Wilson's zeal to post his plastic-gun blueprints online, he's actually exposing a giant loophole in gun control: Our view

The Editorial Board, USA TODAY | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Kits make ghost guns unregistered and untraceable Guns made by hobbyists or 3D printers are just as lethal, but aren't traceable and don't require background checks.

America is already awash in 270 million firearms, more than one for every adult in the nation. Now it's possible to assemble a pistol from parts created on a three-dimensional printer. For those worried about gun proliferation in an era of mass shootings and terrorism, is it time to panic?

Not yet.

Cranking out weaponry on a 3D printer, as readily as printing tax forms on your HP inkjet, remains futuristic. Arms-producing printer technology is expensive, time-consuming and rudimentary. Today's plastic guns are odd, boxy creations that tend to crack or come apart when the first shot is fired. Traditional metal weapons, responsible for this weekend's carnage in Chicago, are a much bigger concern.

Even so, if there's one thing we've learned about technology it's that it will improve rapidly. The time to address the threats posed by self-made guns is before, not after, they become a major problem.

CODY WILSON: My printable guns respect security norms

Adding a certain amount of urgency to the issue is 30-year-old Cody Wilson, a Second Amendment champion and self-styled anarchist from Texas who seeks to post his plastic-gun blueprints online.

The internet unveiling was temporarily blocked by judges last week after eight states and the District of Columbia filed suit, arguing that the technology allows criminals and terrorists to build untraceable and undetectable firearms.

Wilson conceded as much on Fox News Sunday: "It should be expected that there will be social costs for protecting a right."

The blueprint genie might be out of the bottle already. Wilson's plans were downloaded more than 100,000 times before being pulled and are readily available elsewhere. But he has achieved something else, however unintended. In his zeal to promote firearms, Wilson shed a bright light on a giant loophole in gun laws.

The requirement to undergo a criminal and mental-health background check before purchasing a serialized and traceable firearm applies only to guns bought from commercially licensed dealers, the way most people acquire them. But if you can build one in your basement — or assemble it from printed parts — no background check or serialization is necessary.

That used to be the realm of hobbyists fascinated by historic flintlocks. No more. Now, companies are selling kits from which untraceable assault-style rifles can be assembled. They're called "ghost guns," and their popularity is growing.

A disturbed and angry Kevin Janson Neal of Northern California was barred by court order from owning firearms, but he managed to assemble two high-powered rifles, killed his wife and four others, and shot up an elementary school before police killed him in November. Earlier this year, law enforcement in Los Angeles seized from gang members a small arsenal of guns, including AR-15 assault-style rifles, built from internet-ordered parts.

"You should have made a law," Wilson said of this lack of restrictions.

An excellent idea. California did just that in 2016, requiring people who assemble homemade guns — be they metal or plastic — to apply for a serial number and submit to a background check. True, lawbreakers are unlikely to comply, but they'll certainly risk arrest or seizure of their guns should police stop them on the street.

As 3D printer technology advances, closing this loophole is one good way to get ahead of the problem of unlicensed, untraceable guns. Another way might be using technology, such as blocking software, to prevent the printers from being used to make firearms. To the extent that Cody Wilson spurs actions such as these, he's providing a valuable public service.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.

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