Remember the 3D printed lower Defense Distributed produced? Meet the Liberator.
Cody Wilson (founder of Defense Distributor) topped the accomplishment of printing a functioning rifle lower by using the same means to produce a functional handgun. As the components of this modern technological marvel are almost entirely plastic (it uses a metal nail as a firing pin), it stands to reason that extended use would degrade the firearm (I have not yet found any feedback on the Liberator’s duration of reliable use). But what is not remarkable is the length of use of the plastic gun, but in the implications of its construction.
Defense Distributed proclaims their mission to be “To defend the civil liberty of popular access to arms … through facilitating global access to, and the collaborative production of information and knowledge relating to the 3D printing of arms; and to publish and distribute, at no cost to the public, such information and knowledge …” (Defense Distributed “About Us,” defdist.org/about-us/).
Not surprisingly, the United States government has had a negative response to Defense Distributed’s global dissemination of plans for printing a complete, functional firearm. Wilson is complying with the US Department of Defense Trade Controls’ order to remove public access to the files previously accessible to the public. A red banner on the DEFCAD site (where Defense Distributed’s 3D plans were hosted for users to download) announces that, “Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information.”
The argument has begun between gun control and information control. Where do you think it will lead?
H/T to Andy Greenberg of Forbes.com
The Liberator featured image credit: Michael Thad Carter of Forbes (courtesy of Forbes.com).
Or you go online and do a web search for zipgun and in you garage in less then two hours have something that will survive taking a few shots………
Just did another web search And the State Department might as well give up. The original plans were downloaded 100000 times in two days and the plans have been updated and guns printed on a $1700 dollar printer. In another couple weeks a full auto version will probably be available in your choice of calibre.
i appreciate the idea of making a gun during tyranny. however, in reality, this guy has opened pandoras box for criminals.
What criminal would want a single shot plastic pistol?
Ebay sure has a good number of 3D printers for sale…….
It’s cheaper to buy a stolen gun, then to buy a 3D printer ($1,200. – $2,000).
Unless they steal a 3d printer, still they would have to buy materials, eventually.
And if you were going to face prison time, wouldn’t just steal a gun instead?
The Governments actions is the same old knee jerk reaction of making a big deal over nothing. IMHO
I find this whole ordeal to be idiotic. It is LEGAL for an individual to build their own firearm of any type, as long as if the firearm were in production by a firearms manufacturer, it would not fall under weapons governed by the NFA. Home-building and Home-gunsmithing have been around for many years and are where the majority of innovation is attained. The sole caveat to this is that the said weapon can never leave the ownership of the builder. It’s a good idea but not law to put some identifying marking on the weapon.
It is ILLEGAL for felons or mentally incapacitated (legally) people to be in possession of a firearm of any type, no matter if it’s a production gun or homemade.
Why is it this is legal? Because it would be UNENFORCEABLE otherwise. For christ’s sake, I can make a single shot 9mm out of some pneumatic air fittings I have in my garage. No machining necessary, screw this into this, add a spring, drop in a round, Bang. How could LEO/AFT enforce that?!?! They can’t, so leave it be.
If a few LEOs and LAC’s shot a few more of these “criminals” we’re so worried about, it would be a non-issue.