The possibility to create a weapon of mass destruction for just a couple bucks an hour is the hottest debate on the topic of guns at the moment. Guns printed using a 3-D printer and those who chose to create them should not protected under the Second Amendment.

This country does not need more guns, and, for as low $10, people can access the blueprints to make these guns using a 3-D printer. For a couple dollars per hour, anyone can rent the use of a 3-D printer with which they can create this weapon without a background check. In addition, the gun would be completely untraceable. This gives us more reason to worry about guns falling into the wrong hands.

But, so far, the people who have the skills and resources to make 3-D-printed guns are not the people we need to worry about hurting or killing anyone. They are simply doing it for experimental purposes: Can this gun work?

In all honesty, this debate could be a distraction from gun control in relation to background checks. As mass shootings and gun violence continue to rise, the U.S. should not be worried about people going out and printing

their guns when, realistically, anyone can go out and buy one. We really should not shift our attention from this issue. There is plenty of room to debate how much we should try to control or regulate 3-D-printable firearms, but it is ultimately beside the point.

The fact is 3-D-printed guns just are not that big of an issue. Frankly, bringing up the idea of 3-D-printed guns while discussing gun control or ending mass killings is a topic shift. It is not possible to look at the statis- tics of gun violence in this country and ignore the fact that the U.S. has

a problem with guns that needs to be solved. Discussing 3-D-printed guns is not the first step to solving the gun control issue.

The country as a whole needs to find a common middle ground that we can agree on. What is for sure is that 3-D-printable guns are not part of the problem at this time. The type of guns chosen by people who commit horrible crimes and mass killings are chosen for their ability to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible, typically. The easiest way to get these, at the moment, are not from a 3-D printer.

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