Ready,steady, fire! Forbes shows world what printable gun looks like
The world’s first entirely 3D-printable handgun appears in all its glory today in Forbes magazine. It is the creation of 25-year-old law student Cody Wilson who set out to create it eight months ago.
The gun:almost ready to fire
Next week, Wilson, a University of Texas student and founder of a non-profit group Defense Distributed, plans to release the 3D-printable CAD files for the gun he calls “the Liberator,” pictured in its initial form above.
He agreed to let the Forbes writer document the process of the gun’s creation, so long as he didn't publish details of its mechanics or its testing "until it’s been proven to work reliably" said Forbes - and the file has been uploaded to Defense Distributed’s online collection of printable gun blueprints at Defcad.org.
All 16 pieces of the Liberator prototype were printed in ABS plastic with a Dimension SST printer from 3D printing company Stratasys, said the magazine. The exception was a single nail used as a firing pin.
The gun is designed to fire standard handgun rounds, using interchangeable barrels for different bullet sizes.
One component not printed is a six ounce piece of steel in the body to make it detectable by metal detectors - to comply with the Undetectable Firearms Act. In March, the group also obtained a federal firearms license, making it a legal gun manufacturer.
Forbes points out, "Of course, Defcad’s users may not adhere to so many rules. Once the file is online, anyone will be able to download and print the gun in the privacy of their garage, legally or not, with no serial number, background check, or other regulatory hurdles."
Earlier Wilson had put it like this “You can print a lethal device. It’s kind of scary, but that’s what we’re aiming to show.”
Cody Wilson has become into one of the most controversial figures in the 3D printing community. In October of last year, Stratasys seized a printer the group had rented to Defense Distributed after the company learned how its machine was being used.
Wilson’s group's aim is to "blur the lines between the regulation of firearms and information censorship".
One congressman has introduced a bill that would renew the Undetectable Firearms Act - with new provisions aimed specifically at 3D printed components.
Wilson told Forbes, “Everyone talks about the 3D printing revolution. Well, what did you think would happen when everyone has the means of production? I’m interested to see what the potential for this tool really is. Can it print a gun?”
It seems that it can, says Forbes,
"Stay tuned for more."