3D printers are being put in detention in Jamaica.
If that sounds, well, not a normal thing to do, you’d be correct. But that is indeed what is happening in the Caribbean nation. In a report by the Jamaica Gleaner, it seems the country is increasingly concerned with the appearance of 3D-printed weapons.
This is a problem worldwide, and many jurisdictions are enacting new laws to try to counteract the untraceable weapons and subsequent use by criminals. Generally, the rules are of two forms:
- Make the act of using or helping with using the equipment to make the weapons illegal;
- Attempting to control what the 3D printer can produce through technical means
The latter, as I’ve written many times previously, is a tempting concept for legislators, but is in fact entirely unimplementable, and would cause tremendous harm to the wider 3D print community.
Jamaica seems to be taking a very different approach.
Instead of options a or b above, the country opts for detention. Here’s how it is supposed to work: any 3D printers entering the country are physically “detained” upon arrival. Customs workers then notify the authorities, who commence an investigation of the recipient. If the investigation reveals nothing amiss, a clearance order is written and the 3D printer is released to the recipient. Basically, it’s a background check on anyone ordering a 3D printer.
I’m not sure how effective this could be, since a successfully imported 3D printer could then be sold (or stolen) by “Jamaican crime syndicates” and put to work making weapons.
Nevertheless, that’s the rule in Jamaica going forward.
Could other countries implement something similar? That’s unlikely because of the small size of Jamaica, which it appears has to import all 3D printers. None are made on the island.
It’s also a relatively small problem. According to the report, only 44 3D printers were imported into the country over the past three years. That’s one 3D printer every 25 days, few enough to easily do investigations on each. Larger countries that can manufacture their own equipment or have higher volumes could not implement this scheme.
Will this method work? In addition to the change of ownership problem I mentioned above, there are also entities in Jamaica that believe the customs agency has overstepped its authority in this matter. It’s possible that the rule may be withdrawn as a result.
This is just another brick in the wall of regions looking for answers to this growing issue.
Via Jamaica Gleaner
