If you’re looking to print out something in 3-D, don’t bother going to a Broward County library because theirs have been temporarily shelved over concerns they could be used to make a gun or other dangerous weapons.

Broward libraries took their 3-D printers out of circulation Monday to come up with policies about what the printers can be used for. Officials do not know how long the printers will be unavailable to the public.

“I’m concerned with any weapon that could be printed on a 3-D printer,” Broward Library Director Kelvin Watson said. “It’s about all weapons and anything that could be printed to harm other customers and staff … especially in light of what happened last week at the
Main Library.”

On Aug. 7, a man was shot outside the Main Library in downtown Fort Lauderdale near the homeless tent encampment. The man’s injuries were not life-threatening, officials said.

C​reation Station Lab
Makerspace/Gadget Lab Audio/Video Production • Electronics Kits • Arts & Crafts • Computer Programming​ • Virtual Reality Equipment
Looking for somewhere to unleash your creativity and ideas? We have just the place. Nestled in downtown Fort Lauderdale, is a makerspace/gadget lab on the first floor of the Main Library. It's the first free community center in Broward equipped with tools such as state-of-the-art computers and gadgets as well as public access to the latest virtual reality equipment.​​

Lab hours: Monday, Thursday-Saturday: 10AM-6PM; Tuesday-Wednesday: Noon-8PM; Sunday: Closed
Creation Station Lab Events​

Additional Labs
One space just isn't enough. Concentrating on specific creative areas, two other Broward County Libraries are available makerspaces. The Northwest Regional Library in Coral Springs features equipment/space for hands-on projects and a large, open space with work tables.

Operation Pipe Dreams was the code-name for a U.S. nationwide investigation in 2003 targeting businesses selling drug paraphernalia, mostly marijuana pipes and bongs, under a little-used statute (21 U.S.C. § 863(a)). Due to the reluctance of state law-enforcement agencies to contribute resources to the operation, most cases were filed in Iowa and Pennsylvania, taking advantage of the statute's prohibition on the use of "the mails or any other facility of interstate commerce to transport drug paraphernalia."[1]

Hundreds of businesses and homes were raided as a result of Operation Pipe Dreams.[2] Fifty five people were named in indictments and charged with trafficking of illegal drug paraphernalia. While 54 of the 55 individuals charged were sentenced to fines and home detentions, actor Tommy Chong was sentenced September 11, 2003, to 9 months in a federal prison, a fine of $20,000, forfeiture of $103,000, and a year of probation. Chong was charged for his part in financing and promoting Chong Glass Works/Nice Dreams, California-based companies started by his son Paris. Unlike most shops selling bongs, Nice Dreams specialized in selling high-end bongs as collectible works of art. The Chong Glass Works employed 25 glass blowers who were paid $30/hour to produce 100 pipes a day.

Nice Dreams had a policy in place for refusing to sell bongs to states where the statute was being enforced. Federal agents, disguised as head-shop owners, pressured Paris Chong to sell them his pipes and deliver them through the mail to a fictitious shop in the Pittsburgh suburb of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. When Paris persistently refused, agents went to the place of business in person and ordered a massive quantity of out of stock merchandise. The merchandise was crafted but not picked up and sat idle in the warehouse as federal agents again pressured Paris to ship it. To get the merchandise out of his warehouse, Paris eventually agreed to ship it. In a Plea bargain, Chong agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute drug paraphernalia in exchange for non-prosecution of his wife, Shelby, and his son, Paris. Federal Prosecution admitted to being harsher on Chong in retaliation, citing Chong's movies as trivializing "law enforcement efforts to combat drug trafficking and use."[3]

The estimated cost of Operation Pipe Dreams was over $12 million and included the resources of 2,000 law enforcement officers.[1][4]