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Join the presentation on The Constitution and the Limits of 3-D Printers!

September 17, 2018 @ 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

As technology advances, our ability to “speak” grows as well. No longer is communication limited to the alphabet and punctuation. We’ve far surpassed fonts, colors, and even emoticons.  The typewriter is now resigned to cultural space in old black and white movies, and has given way to word processors, laser printers and photocopiers. Now we can print objects with both utility and expressive meaning on 3D printers. Now, 3-D printers usher in an age when not just words can be shared, but 3D objects that hold promise (printing medical devices, or objects to be used on a space shuttle) and peril (objects that can destroy human life in the hands of those intending harm).  

How does the Constitution at once protect private liberty and public safety? Are there limits on what can be shared on publicly available websites, and printed on shared public 3D computers?   

Every American is aware that the Declaration of Independence stated that Government exists to protect the inalienable rights of people to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” From there, the United States’ Constitution was framed to protect these rights, and further, the Bill of Rights was added nearly immediately to carefully define some of the most crucial rights.  Among these rights are free speech, freedom of religion, and with continued controversy, the right to “bear arms”. There are, though, no “unlimited” rights – even the right to free speech yields to public safety when speech presents a threat of imminent harm. In the United States, the 2nd Amendment is frequently justified on grounds of personal safety; equally important, with increasing frequency public safety is threatened by unlawful gun use at schools, employment places, and in crowded public areas.

These questions will be discussed in a presentation by Adjunct Prof. Richard A. Levine (Constitutional Law), joined by select members of the Mines community, who will field questions and issues raised by the audience. Come learn about the history of the 2nd Amendment; how it has been defined by the US Supreme Court; and how it co-exists alongside 1st Amendment rights and vital government/public interests such as safe schools and public safety.

The Presentation is on September 17th, 4 PM at Student Center, Ball Room D & E.