Weapons & Hope

[Eric Anderson]

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From: 	Duncan Frissell[SMTP:frissell at panix.com]
Sent: 	Tuesday, March 26, 1996 8:42 AM
To: 	cypherpunks at toad.com
Subject: 	Weapons & Hope
While it might be barely possible
in the mass production age to control weapons by blocking the flow of these
specific products (a Streetsweeper, say) into the marketplace, it will
clearly not be possible  in the age of custom production.  General machines
will be available to produce specialized products (often under the direct
control of the customer, himself).  Some of this custom production will be
weapons.
	
I took machine tool operations @ my local community college. suffice it 
to say, good, high-quality firearms are **EASY** to fabricate (Believe me!)
	So my point is this: Just as the Gov't CANNOT prevent me from making a gun in my basement, whats to stop some high-school juinor from writing
a strong crypto program?
	I can just see Chuckie Schumer introducing (W/ Sen. Fine-Swine as 
co-sponor) a bill to ban "Cyberwar Software" i.e. mandatory registration of compilers, mandatory GAK, etc... What an asshole.
Take care,
Eric