Last month the first shots were fired
from a 3D printed gun. As expected it sparked debate regarding the future of 3D
printed firearms.
For many, 3D printing is a revolution,
using a special hardened plastic to print, layer by layer, actual physical
objects. While there are many uses for this, for example the printing of spare
parts for models or architects constructing 3D replicas of their projects,
American Cody Wilson had other ideas. Starting last year in August he created
the non-profit organization Defense Distributed, with the aim of providing
freely available plans for 3D printable firearms.
For
many, 3D printing is a revolution, using a special hardened plastic to print,
layer by layer, actual physical objects.
Shoot’ em up
In a relatively small amount of time,
Wilson's ideas came to fruition, since last month he managed to fire the first
shot from a 3D printed gun. Called the Liberator, the gun is constructed out of
16 pieces, 15 of which were printed on an $8,000 3D printer. The final part is
a simple nail that you can buy from a hardware store (the bullets are also shop
bought).
3D
printed gun
Wilson's success led him to release the
plans on his website, even though at this stage the Liberator cannot fire more
than one shot at a time. This, while its ability to withstand the pressure
associated with shooting more than a few rounds, is in doubt. In the two days
before the American State Department ordered him to take it down, the
blueprints for the gun were downloaded 100,000 times. And just because it is
not available on his site any longer doesn't mean they are gone - the plans
quickly made their way to Torrent Ting networks such as The Pirate Bay.
To the point
The availability of 3D printed guns, and
the US government's attempt to regulate these, brings up numerous difficult
question s. On the one side, the Liberator is crude, costs a lot to produce and
seems to be as much of a danger to the person behind the gun as in front - for
now at least. For the US government the problems are numerous: Is it at all
possible to stop the distribution of these blueprints‘? Is banning the plans
not a violation of freedom of speech‘? How do you enforce a ban on printing 3D
guns‘? Do you regulate the sale of 3D printers at all‘? These questions will
most probably be answered by US courts.
