( CNN ) -- For those out there worried that our nation 's stern gun laws were keeping firearms out of the hands of too many people , the solution appears to have arrived : the printable gun . Produced by a nonprofit organization called Defense Distributed , this small plastic gun , dubbed the `` Liberator , '' has been tested and is able to fire a bullet in a video demo . Assuming this is no crazy hoax , the ramifications of such a weapon for gun control are potentially profound . I ca n't imagine that too many people with rational minds think printable guns will add to the serenity of the world . Granted , 3-D printers are n't yet a household item , but as technology improves and becomes less expensive , they may become common . Although the `` Liberator '' appears unreliable , tending to fragment after a few shots , subsequent models will likely improve . Either way , it 's a workable and untraceable gun . Open source guru Eric Raymond has said , `` I approve of any development that makes it more difficult for governments and criminals to monopolize the use of force . '' The development of the printable gun seems to be particularly popular with the ultra-libertarian crowd . The founder of Defense Distributed apparently describes himself as a crypto-anarchist . It 's difficult to envision a situation in which a law-abiding homeowner prints a gun for self-defense . Sure , a few people may print the darn things for the novelty of it . But the printable gun , assuming it moves forward unregulated , would be the obvious realm of the criminal . Ca n't pass a background check ? No need to take your chances , such as they are , at a gun show anymore . Just print out your weapon from home ! As only the firing pin is metal ( a household nail ) , I can only imagine the nightmare of trying to detect these things . Most homicides are impulsive , not the cold calculated affairs of Agatha Christie novels . Would enraged individuals without a gun be able to print one of these in response to some perceived slight ? Yes , they 'd have to go buy a bullet ( and a nail ) , but it 's still a way around a background check . This scenario seems foolish only because it 's already so easy to get a real gun . There are approximately 300 million guns in the United States . If we want to reduce the number of homicides ( or suicides for that matter ) , making it difficult to get immediate access to guns can help reduce impulsive behaviors . Allowing people to print their own gun is just the opposite . Beyond a doubt , calmer heads will want to regulate these things . I 'm not a lawyer , but I suspect this is one example in which technology may have raced ahead of the law . Is Defense Distributed selling guns or information ? Is this a gun control issue or a First Amendment issue ? Can the printers be regulated to refuse to print weapons , or could new designs simply circumvent existing prohibited products ? Sen. Chuck Schumer , D-New York , has expressed interest in legislation to block printable guns , so we 'll see where it leads . As he puts it , `` We 're facing a situation where anyone -- a felon , a terrorist -- can open a gun factory in their garage and the weapons they make will be undetectable . It 's stomach-churning . '' It seems that way . Do n't get me wrong . I 'm probably about as neutral as anyone can be on the issue of gun control . I believe law abiding citizens have constitutional rights to own weapons . But at the same time I believe in reasonable safeguards to make sure access to firearms is limited from criminals and those with chronic mental illnesses . In this sense , to me , printable guns are a step in the wrong direction . Granted , the actual impact of printable guns on societal violence is obviously unknown . Perhaps they 'll remain so unreliable or difficult to assemble from the individual pieces that the impact will be negligible . Or perhaps not . Some have described Defense Distributed 's efforts as a kind of political performance art . Very funny , Defense Distributed . We get it . I just hope we do n't regret it . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Christopher J. Ferguson .
A group used 3-D printer to make a plastic handgun that can fire a real bullet . Christopher Ferguson : The ramifications of such a weapon are potentially profound . He says if a criminal ca n't pass a background check , he can just print his own gun at home . Ferguson : How will government regulate these workable and untraceable guns ?