Tallman, Mark A. Ghost Guns. Hobbyist, Hackers, and the Homemade Weapons Revolution

For more than a century, strict gun control was possible because firearms were manufactured in centralised industrial plants. Today, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which combines old and new technologies, threatens to turn this arrangement on its head. A growing number of hobbyists, "makers", technology provocateurs and sophisticated criminals are proving that you no longer need a factory to make guns. The security challenges of this transformation are becoming increasingly clear, but the technologies behind it hold enormous potential, and while ignoring the security implications would carry risks, the cost of new policies must also be assessed. "Do-it-yourself" weapons will have significant implications for First and Second Amendment rights, international and domestic security, crime prevention, technology, privacy, innovation, and the nature of open source culture itself. How can a liberal society adapt to technologies that facilitate the manufacture of weapons and contraband? The informative and thought-provoking book "Ghost Guns. Hobbyists, Hackers, and the Homemade Weapons Revolution" carefully analyses the technical, legal, social, political and criminological trends behind this challenging new area of illegal gun activity.