VOA慢速英语2018 3D打印枪支引发法律问题

3D Guns Raise Legal Questions

In the U.S. this month, Americans are discussing whether 3D [three-dimensional] guns are legal.

这个月，很多美国人都在讨论3D枪是否应该合法化的问题。

Cody Wilson says yes. He first used a website to publish designs for a printable handgun in 2013. But the U.S. State Department soon ordered him to stop, saying the designs violated laws related to exports.

科迪 威尔逊(Cody Wilson)支持强制合法化。2013年，他率先通过网站来发布可打印手枪的设计。但美国国务院很快就勒令他停止，并表示他的设计违反了与出口有关的法律。

This summer, the two parties reached a settlement that would permit Wilson to publish the designs. But when public officials warned that 3D guns threatened public safety, a judge blocked Wilson until the issue could be discussed again.

今年夏天，国内两党达成一致，允许威尔逊发布枪支设计。但由于多位政府工作人员警示称，3D枪威胁了公共安全，所以一位法官禁止威尔逊发布枪支设计，因为目前这个问题是没得商量的。

A First Amendment¹ issue?

Wilson calls his argument a First Amendment case. The First Amendment, part of the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights, permits Americans the right to most kinds of speech. Wilson believes it permits him to share the plans to make a gun with a 3D printer.

威尔逊用《第一修正案》来为自己证明。《第一修正案》是美国《人权法案》的部分内容，该修正案允许美国人拥有大多数情况下言论自由的权利。威尔逊认为，该修正案让自己可以分享用3D打印方式来制造枪支的计划。

His lawyer, Josh Blackman, said, "This is a very, very, very easy First Amendment question that I think people might be hesitant to accept because it involves guns and people don't like guns.”

威尔逊的律师乔希 布莱克曼(Josh Blackman)表示，我认为这个有关《第一修正案》的问题非常非常简单，但公众对于接受这件事可能很犹豫，因为这涉及到枪的问题，而大家都不喜欢枪。

A public safety issue?

The federal judge who has temporarily blocked Wilson noted² the case presented “serious First Amendment issues.” But Judge Robert Lasnik also said that guns made on 3D printers could create serious harm.

曾暂时禁止威尔逊提议的联邦法官表示，这个案子向《第一修正案》提出了严正的问题。但法官罗伯特 拉斯尼克(Robert Lasnik)也认为，用3D打印机制造出来的枪支会造成严重的伤害。

Critics of 3D guns say criminals or terrorists could easily create the guns and hide them. The New York Times newspaper notes they “can be printed without serial³ numbers or government regulations.”

对3D枪持批评意见的人认为，犯罪分子或恐怖分子可以轻而易举的造出3D枪，并将之藏匿起来。《纽约时报》认为，3D枪不需要序列号和政府监管就能制造出来。

In addition, all-plastic guns would violate a 1988 law called the Undetectable Firearms Act. That act outlaws⁴ guns that cannot be identified by a metal detector⁵. Congress has renewed the act several times, and it remains⁶ in effect.

除此之外，全塑料制造的枪支会违反1988年的《不可探测枪支法案》。该法案认定，金属探测器检测不到的枪支就是违法枪支。美国国会曾多次更新该法案，目前该法案依然有效。

Even though Wilson’s designs call for some metal, critics say a user could easily remove those pieces.

虽然威尔逊的设计中也会用到金属，但批评家认为，使用者可以轻而易举地将金属部分挪走。

“It’s an absurdity⁷. You can take the piece of metal out and put it back in at your own whims⁹ and you can take it out and walk through a metal detector undetected,” said Jonas Oransky, legal director for the group Everytown for Gun Safety.

这台荒谬了。3D枪里的金属，使用者可以收放自如的装拆，也就是说，出去的时候可以把金属拆掉，这样金属探测器就探测不到，枪支安全无处不在的法律主管乔纳斯(Jonas Oransky)如是说道。

Wilson answers that he is not making an all-plastic gun. He is simply providing the information on how someone could make one.

对此，威尔逊的恢复是：他自己并没有制造全塑料材质的枪。他只是提供了可能制造全塑料枪支的人的信息而已。

The judge will meet with lawyers about the case next week.

本周，法官将与多位律师会晤，商讨这个案子。

U.S. President Donald Trump¹⁰ has also said he is thinking about the issue.

美国总统特朗普也表示自己在思考这个问题。

Words in This Story

three-dimensional - adj. having or seeming to have length, width, and depth

hesitant - adj. slow to act or speak especially because you are nervous or unsure about what to do

serial number - n. a number that is put on a product and that is used to identify it

undetectable - adj. impossible to discover or notice

firearm - n. a small gun

metal detector - n. a device that can tell if metal is present

absurdity - n. extremely silly, foolish, or unreasonable¹¹ idea

whim⁸ - n. a sudden wish, desire or decision

1 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

4 outlaws   

歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯

参考例句：

• During his year in the forest, Robin met many other outlaws. 在森林里的一年，罗宾遇见其他许多绿林大盗。
• I didn't have to leave the country or fight outlaws. 我不必离开自己的国家，也不必与不法分子斗争。

5 detector   

n.发觉者，探测器

参考例句：

• The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
• Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 absurdity   

n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论

参考例句：

• The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。
• The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。

8 whim   

n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想

参考例句：

• I bought the encyclopedia on a whim.我凭一时的兴致买了这本百科全书。
• He had a sudden whim to go sailing today.今天他突然想要去航海。

9 WHIMS   

虚妄，禅病

参考例句：

• The mate observed regretfully that he could not account for that young fellow's whims. 那位伙伴很遗憾地说他不能说出那年轻人产生怪念头的原因。
• The rest she had for food and her own whims. 剩下的钱她用来吃饭和买一些自己喜欢的东西。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

10 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

11 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。