Is this e-reader case a gun?

这个电子书阅读器保护壳是枪吗？

A 3D-printed case for a niche e-reader illustrates why mandating gun-blocking software is an unwinnable task. 一款小众电子书阅读器的 3D 打印保护壳，生动地展示了为何强制推行“枪支拦截软件”是一项不可能完成的任务。

Is an e-reader case as dangerous as a Glock 19? Last month, Louisville, Kentucky-based creator Luke The Maker showed off a bizarre, 3D-printed, pistol-shaped case design for the popular minimalist Xteink X4 e-reader. The X4 lies vertically atop the plastic gun’s slide, with a cutout on the side to access its buttons. Though the frame was digitally modeled after a real gun, this “case” can’t shoot bullets. Squeezing the trigger does nothing at all. He calls his contraption the “Gundle.” 电子书阅读器保护壳和格洛克 19 手枪一样危险吗？上个月，来自肯塔基州路易斯维尔的创作者 Luke The Maker 展示了一款造型奇特的 3D 打印手枪形保护壳，专为流行的极简主义 Xteink X4 电子书阅读器设计。X4 垂直放置在塑料枪的套筒上方，侧面留有开口以便操作按钮。尽管该框架是根据真枪进行数字建模的，但这个“保护壳”无法发射子弹。扣动扳机没有任何反应。他将自己的这个装置称为“Gundle”（枪+电子书的合成词）。

In a post showing off the wacky accessory, Luke (whose last name is Blackford) can be seen flipping through Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye before tossing the gun e-reader case in his car’s center console. “The perfect e-reader for public reading,” text reads over the clip. 在展示这一古怪配件的帖子中，可以看到 Luke（姓 Blackford）翻阅着科马克·麦卡锡的《血色子午线》和 J.D. 塞林格的《麦田里的守望者》，随后将这个枪形阅读器保护壳扔进了汽车的中控台。视频上的文字写道：“适合在公共场合阅读的完美电子书阅读器。”

But even though this internet experiment is clearly intended as a joke or commentary, it’s possible future 3D printers won’t see it that way. Lawmakers in multiple states are pushing for laws mandating gun-blocking software on all new printers sold. This still-evolving technology would, in theory, scan every file before it’s physically printed and try to algorithmically determine whether it’s a firearm or firearm part. If the software decides that the thing being printed looks enough like a gun, it stops the printer from completing the job. 尽管这个网络实验显然是出于玩笑或讽刺目的，但未来的 3D 打印机可能不会这么认为。多个州的立法者正在推动立法，要求所有新售出的打印机必须安装枪支拦截软件。从理论上讲，这种仍在发展中的技术会在文件物理打印前进行扫描，并尝试通过算法判断其是否为枪支或枪支零件。如果软件判定打印对象看起来像枪，它就会阻止打印机完成任务。

That is, if it even works. Lawmakers in New York and California are leaving it up to a panel of industry experts to weigh whether the proposed vision is even technically feasible. Despite that cloud of uncertainty, legislation mandating this blocking tech has already become law in New York and passed California’s state assembly. 前提是它真的能起作用。纽约州和加利福尼亚州的立法者正将这一愿景是否具备技术可行性的评估工作交给行业专家小组。尽管存在这种不确定性，但强制推行该拦截技术的法案已在纽约州成为法律，并已在加州州议会获得通过。

Makers and industry experts previously told The Verge that the tech is underdeveloped and risks introducing false positives where non-guns that look gun-like get unnecessarily blocked. Blackford’s e-reader case falls directly in that detection gray area. Blackford says he didn’t explicitly make the Gundle to challenge the proposed laws, but he also didn’t shy away from expressing his opinion about them. 创客和行业专家此前曾告诉《The Verge》，该技术尚不成熟，存在产生“误报”的风险，即那些看起来像枪但并非枪支的物品会被不必要地拦截。Blackford 的阅读器保护壳正好处于这种检测的灰色地带。Blackford 表示，他制作 Gundle 并非为了挑战拟议中的法律，但他也不避讳表达对此的看法。

“I’m not for that kind of thing because I’m big into open software,” Blackford says. “It’s just a wild frontier right now, so I definitely don’t trust [gun blueprint scanning tech] now.” “If people want to 3D print a gun, they’re going to do it,” he adds. “I don’t think it’s up to the people making the slicers to control that kind of thing.” “我不支持这种做法，因为我非常推崇开源软件，”Blackford 说。“这目前还是一个蛮荒领域，所以我绝对不信任（枪支蓝图扫描技术）。”他补充道：“如果人们想 3D 打印枪支，他们总会找到办法。我不认为应该由切片软件的开发者来控制这类事情。”

Those pushing for these mandates, meanwhile, wouldn’t say whether their proposed tech would stop Blackford from making a harmless case. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office didn’t respond to questions about Blackford’s device specifically, or the implications false positives could have for a maker’s ability to freely express themself. 与此同时，那些推动这些强制措施的人士并未说明他们提议的技术是否会阻止 Blackford 制作这种无害的保护壳。纽约州州长凯西·霍楚尔（Kathy Hochul）的办公室没有回应关于 Blackford 设备具体情况的询问，也没有回应误报可能对创客自由表达能力产生的影响。

“The intent of the law is not to block prints like this, but I think this print is a really good example of why that’s hard,” says Cliff Braun, associate director of technology policy and research at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Braun, who has spoken critically of California’s proposal, says it’s unclear whether the proposed system would flag Blackford’s design. While the technology exists, Braun says it’s currently in a “limited form.” 电子前沿基金会（EFF）技术政策与研究副主任克里夫·布劳恩（Cliff Braun）表示：“法律的初衷并非拦截此类打印件，但我认为这个打印件很好地说明了为什么这很难做到。”曾对加州提案提出批评的布劳恩表示，尚不清楚拟议的系统是否会标记 Blackford 的设计。虽然该技术确实存在，但布劳恩指出它目前处于“有限形式”。

Handguns like the one Blackford modeled his design on are particularly problematic. In 2022, the ATF updated its rules clarifying that the only parts of a firearm that legally require a serial number are those that provide the housing or structure for the weapon’s “primary fire control component.” In AR-15s and other long guns, that’s the receiver. Braun notes that the shapes of receivers are relatively unique and distinguishable, as are machine gun conversion devices. That’s not quite the same with a handgun. There, the part that requires a serial number is the frame. And unlike receivers, frames are visually far more ambiguous. Water hoses, toy guns, and power tools all share somewhat similar shapes. 像 Blackford 模仿设计的那种手枪尤其棘手。2022 年，美国烟酒枪炮及爆炸物管理局（ATF）更新了规则，明确规定法律上唯一需要序列号的枪支部件是那些为武器“主要火控组件”提供外壳或结构的部件。在 AR-15 和其他长枪中，这就是机匣。布劳恩指出，机匣的形状相对独特且易于区分，机枪转换装置也是如此。但手枪的情况则不同，需要序列号的部件是底把（frame）。与机匣不同，底把在视觉上要模糊得多。水管、玩具枪和电动工具的形状都与之有几分相似。

Dartmouth College associate professor of engineering Solomon Diamond tells The Verge that whether Blackford’s e-reader case gets blocked really depends on the type of technology that particular printer deploys. 达特茅斯学院工程学副教授所罗门·戴蒙德（Solomon Diamond）告诉《The Verge》，Blackford 的阅读器保护壳是否会被拦截，实际上取决于该特定打印机所采用的技术类型。