Is this e-reader case a gun?
A creator designed a 3D-printed e-reader case shaped like a handgun, sparking a debate about the efficacy of proposed gun-blocking software for 3D printers. Lawmakers in states like New York and California are considering mandates that would require printers to algorithmically detect and block firearm-related files.
Why it matters
It highlights the technical and legal challenges of regulating 3D printing technology without stifling innovation or creating false positives for harmless objects.
Is an e-reader case as dangerous as a Glock 19?
Last month, Louisville, Kentucky-based creator Luke The Maker showed off a bizarre, 3D-printed, pistol-shaped case design for the popular minimalist Xteink X4 e-reader. The X4 lies vertically atop the plastic gun’s slide, with a cutout on the side to access its buttons. Though the frame was digitally modeled after a real gun, this “case” can’t shoot bullets. Squeezing the trigger does nothing at all. He calls his contraption the “Gundle.”
In a post showing off the wacky accessory, Luke (whose last name is Blackford) can be seen flipping through Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye before tossing the gun e-reader case in his car’s center console.
“The perfect e-reader for public reading,” text reads over the clip.
[Media: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ2QEXaMb0t/?igsh=cXY5dTA1ODUyaGZm]
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