Worlds first 3d printed gun, Oh wait, you cannot have that

[The Violator]

Obama wiping his ass with the Constitution again.


"Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information.”




The world's first 3D-printed handgun, The Liberator, has had its liberty taken away by the government.

Plans for the working handgun were posted online by Cody Wilson, founder of Defense Distributed, potentially allowing anyone with access to a 3D printer to make a firearm from plastic. The plans, which had been in the works for months, caused alarm among gun control advocates but were seen by some Second Amendment advocates as a breakthrough. More than 100,000 copies of the plans were downloaded before the federal government took the files.

“[Defense Distributed's] files are being removed from public access at the request of the U.S. Department of Defense Trade Controls," read a banner atop the website. "Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information.”

Wilson tells FoxNews.com that he decided to comply to a request by the Pentagon to take down the gun specs from his website while he weighs his legal options.

"They asked that I take it down while they determine if they have the authority to control the info," he said. "It's clearly a direct response to everything we did this week. 3D printing is clearly not the best way to make an effective weapon."

"Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information.”

- Defense Distributed website


Wilson says he has complied to most laws on the books and feels that the D.O.D.'s request may be more politically motivated.

"If this is an attempt to control the info from getting out there, it's clearly a weak one," he said, adding that the CAD design for the weapon has already spread across the Internet at downloading sites like the Pirate Bay.

Officials from the Department of Defense did not immediately return requests for comment.

All 16 parts of the controversial gun, called the Liberator, are made from a tough, heat-resistant plastic used in products such as musical instruments, kitchen appliances and vehicle bumper bars. Fifteen of the components are made with a 3D printer while one is a non-functional metal part which can be picked up by metal detectors, making it legal under U.S. law. The firing pin is also not made of plastic, though it is easily crafted from a metal nail.

The weapon is designed to fire standard handgun rounds and even features an interchangeable barrel so that it can handle different caliber rounds. The blueprint files were made available online today for download.

Defense Distributed is a not-for-profit group founded by Wilson, a law student at the University of Texas. He said the Liberator project was intended to highlight how technology can render laws and governments all but irrelevant.

"I recognize that this tool might be used to harm people," Wilson told Forbes. "That’s what it is -- it’s a gun. But I don’t think that’s a reason to not put it out there. I think that liberty in the end is a better interest."

His publishing of the printable blueprints online instantly sparked outrage in the U.S.

Using the file, anyone with access to a 3D printer could theoretically print the gun with no serial number, background check or other regulatory hurdles.

U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., has already called for national legislation to ban 3D-printed guns.

"Security checkpoints, background checks and gun regulations will do little good if criminals can print plastic firearms at home and bring those firearms through metal detectors with no one the wiser," Israel said.

"When I started talking about the issue of plastic firearms months ago, I was told the idea of a plastic gun is science-fiction," he added. "Now that this technology is proven, we need to act now to extend the ban on plastic firearms."


Read more: Pentagon scrubs 3D gun plans from Internet, says designer | Fox News

[project_mayhem]

I'd be less concerned about a gun, and more concerned that an object could be printed explosives.

[Highlucks]

Explain to me how a 3D printer can construct complex chemical formulations?
I think you may be the reason they removed this download.

[isyeskeert]

A hobbyist can make this gun for fun and not harm anyone. The hobbyist, like you or me that has no intent to harm anyone could make this as a toy and have a lot of fun with it. THAT is liberty.

A terrorist, whether domestic or not, does not need access to this file. Many of them are not clever enough to create this, keep it that way. Do not spoon feed them a way to get past metal detectors.

They government should have stopped him before this came out. Now, they are trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube, almost impossible!

We have freedoms that are guaranteed. The Constitution was written before 3d printers and Internet files. It could not possibly handle today's issues. So, in my humble opinion, they had the right to shut him down. Call it what you will, violation of rights it is not. It is not freedom of speech when it is a computer file containing no "speech."

They had every right to take that info down. I, for one, am hoping not to hear about anyone using this for harm. Trust me, you will change your tune when you see the victim's memorial broadcast on tv. I am all for gun rights, but not for one that will go through a metal detector.

[jetboat]

A website/blog is considered press. Posting the plans on said website would constitute freedom of speech. Therefore in my mind (and from what I have read, several others), the .gov is violating 1a just by asking it be taken down.

[Calderwood]

The .gov is so dumb. 3rd printing is just one of the many ways that enthusiasts gun smith at home. Lots of people stamp AK plates or machine AR lowers at home. It's completely legal to build your own guns if you don't sell them. Legally they don't even need any identifying numbers on them. The .gov hasn't taken down the plans for AK presses or the cam files for AR lowers.

[The Violator]

Suppressing ideas is Hitler 101. The government has no right to take down and claim for its own any ideas. Are they taking down sites that talk about how to make bombs? What about child porn exchange sites? How about hate group websites? Our government is spending millions of dollars to advertise in Mexico that the good ole US of A does not check citizenship when you apply for food stamps.

[SINister]

I found this vid after a couple seconds of searching on youtube. How to make a zip gun. There are several more vids about how to do it on there. Funny how it's ok to leave up info that any gang banger or terrorist could use but something that is expensive and complex to make is taken down.



The truth of the matter is this isn't about gun laws or safety but about breaking the type of Americans who believe in personal freedom and liberty.

[ROCKEDUP RICKY]

When I was a kid , we would make spoke guns with the spokes off our bikes and some wooden matches.
I use to make hand grenades out of a shot gun shell, 1 large bearing, thumb tack, tape. Don't tell my mom, I was only 10 the 1st time I made one, didn't have no internet, just figured out how the shell worked and went from there.

[microgoat]

I'm surprised the trial lawyers didn't let this one go. Just think of the lawsuit potential in this thing!

[Draggermirage]

They're worried about security checkpoints and getting past the metal detectors?

These detectors don't only find ferrous metals, correct? Will they detect brass, lead, copper, etc? The typical materials your average bullet is made of?

I can see it being an issue if someone walks through a security checkpoint on their person, but there's still the issue of the bullet materials being detected either via x-ray, metal detector, pat-down, etc.

I see this causing a national registry for 3D printers.

Marcus

[Calderwood]

Originally Posted by Draggermirage

I see this causing a national registry for 3D printers.

Marcus

What good would that do? Are we going to register drills and files too?

[Draggermirage]

Originally Posted by nigels_world

What good would that do? Are we going to register drills and files too?

That's my point.

That was a tongue-in-cheek type comment.

There is no way to regulate this completely without some serious breakage of constitutional rights.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

Marcus

[Mrhands]

I like guns

[Calderwood]

Originally Posted by Draggermirage

That's my point.

That was a tongue-in-cheek type comment.

There is no way to regulate this completely without some serious breakage of constitutional rights.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

Marcus

Gotcha. Sometimes It's hard to tell the difference between sarcasm and hippie.

[opek]

Originally Posted by The Violator

Suppressing ideas is Hitler 101. The government has no right to take down and claim for its own any ideas. Are they taking down sites that talk about how to make bombs? What about child porn exchange sites? How about hate group websites? Our government is spending millions of dollars to advertise in Mexico that the good ole US of A does not check citizenship when you apply for food stamps.

I thought there were no child porn website rings? Care to divulge any info? What about hate groups? What's wrong with immigrants? What do those things have to do with this thread? Seems like the main thing you violate is pragmatism.

[SINister]

I bet if it was plans to build an abortion kit they would have offered subsidies to build the printer.