A 3D-printed gun created by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for a demonstration. (Published Thursday, Nov 21, 2013) 
 
 The Philadelphia City Council voted on Thursday to ban the use of 3-D printers to create firearms. 
 
 The bill, which was introduced by Councilman Kenyatta Johnson in September, prohibits people from creating part or all of a firearm using the three-dimensional printing technology. Licensed gun manufacturers are not affected. 
 
 A 3-D printer creates a physical object by laying down many layers of plastic or another resin-infused material in the same fashion as an inkjet printer. The technology has been around for some time, but recent advances have made the devices very affordable and more commonplace. 
 
 A gun made this way can be created without any metal and thus be undetectable by current checkpoint screening methods like metal detectors and X-ray machines in use at city buildings, arenas and airports. 
 
 “Today, Philadelphia became one of the first cities in America to proactively address an issue that has the potential to pose a significant danger to the public,” Councilman Johnson said in a statement after the vote. 
 
 Philadelphia is not alone in the push to ban the 3-D printed weapons. Lawmakers in California and Washington, D.C. vowed to push for similar restrictions in the wake of a reported successful test fire of a 3-D printed weapon earlier this year. 
 
 U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer wants to extend a federal law that prohibits carrying a undetectable gun. The current law is set to expire on Dec. 9. 
 
 Schumer says the latest designs for 3-D printed guns, which are available for download on the internet, allow the gun to fire multiple shots before being destroyed. A blueprint for one such firearm was recently downloaded more than 100,000 times, Schumer says. 
 
 The 3-D printed gun ban now goes before Mayor Michael Nutter. 
 
 Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter. ||||| Yesterday, the Philadelphia City Council approved a ban on the manufacturing of guns with a 3D printer. 
 
 Philadelphia magazine reports that councilman Kenyatta Johnson, who crafted the legislation, is unaware of any actual 3D gun manufacturers in the city, and in a surprisingly earnest statement Johnson's office explained that “It’s all pre-emptive. It’s just based upon internet stuff out there.” 
 
 The legislation, which bans anyone without a federal firearms manufacturing license from producing 3D-printed guns, was passed unanimously by 10-member council. If the mayor approves the bill, Philadelphia will be the first city to implement this kind of ban. 
 
 Johnson, who is a longtime advocate of restrictions on gun ownership and use, previously said "You can use certain types of plastics and certain types of other material to replicate anything,” a power that if honed by 3D gun enthusiasts could be “catastrophic.” He hopes that restricting these firearms will be curtail violent crime in Philadelphia. 
 
 It's an ambitious goal. The Department of Homeland Security, for example, has suggested that stopping the production of 3D-printed weapons is a virtually impossible task. And criminals may have little incentive to buy or build plastic 3-D printed guns like the Liberator, which is likely to complete just a few shots before breaking. The production of metal 3-D printed guns may change that, but as Philadelphia magazine notes, the equipment needed to manufacture one of these firearms can set you back $8000, whereas a good old-fashioned black market handgun may cost as little as $300. If a criminal is looking to inflict the catastrophic damage that Johnson fears, they would not need an expensive, futuristic gun, but as Reason's J.D. Tuccille highlights, a coffee mug, few dollars worth hygienic products, and a working knowledge of basic chemistry. 
 
 There also remains question as to how well the bill will hold up, as Pennsylvania law states that “no county, municipality or township may in any manner regulate the lawful ownership, possession, transfer or transportation of firearms, ammunition or ammunition components when carried or transported for purposes not prohibited by the laws of this Commonwealth.” 
 
 Johnson countered this, telling Phily.com that “the prohibition that city ordinances can't overcome as it relates to state legislation is primarily ownership, transfer of a firearm. This goes to manufacturing.” He assured that “We believe that if there is a challenge in the court system, it will be something we'll be able to defeat."
– With the idea of 3D-printed guns already causing controversy, the city of Philadelphia apparently doesn't want to take any chances. The city council this week voted to make such guns illegal, reports NBC Philadelphia. Once Mayor Michael Nutter signs off, that will make Philadelphia the first city in the nation to enact a law against 3D guns, notes Philadelphia Magazine. The magazine sounds a wee bit skeptical of the benefit, however, considering that no printers of 3D guns are known to exist in the city. "It’s all pre-emptive," an aide to the legislator behind the measure tells the publication. "It’s just based upon Internet stuff out there." The law would not apply to licensed gun manufacturers but is instead aimed at criminals who might try to print a cheap, undetectable (no metal) firearm. Sen. Chuck Schumer wants a federal law to the same effect. A blogger at Reason points out that the city's law might conflict with a state law protecting gun rights, while a blogger at Gizmodo thinks the focus on 3D guns "distracts us from the very big problems we still have with conventional weapons."