Five new developments since Cody
Wilson test-fired the first fully functioning 3D-printed gun (a.k.a. the “Liberator”) and
released the printable file for it on the Internet last week:
1. The file was downloaded
100,000 times in just the first two days it appeared on line.
2. Last Thursday a letter to
Mr. Wilson from the U.S. State Department Office of Defense Trade Controls
Compliance demanded the removal of the Liberator file and other downloadable
designs for printable gun parts from his Website DEFCAD.org, until the State Department decides
whether or not the files’ Internet availability violates American arms
export control laws called the International Traffic in Arms Regulations
(ITAR).
3. In compliance Mr. Wilson
has removed the files from his own servers, although they have already spread
to other file-sharing sites where they still remain available.
4. Mr. Wilson has also made the printable gun files accessible at a public library and a bookstore in Austin, Texas--which he claims
entitlement to do under his organization Defense Distributed’s exemption for
non-profit public domain releases of technical files designed to create a safe
harbor for research and other public interest activities.
5. Mr. Wilson is said to be
weighing his further legal options and has also contacted the Electronic Frontier
Foundation for help in counteracting what he views as an infringement of his
right to free speech.
Recent news reports:
Background to this story:
