DEFCAD files are being removed from public access at the request of the US Department of Defense Trade Controls. Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information.
Blueprints for The ‘Liberator’, a functioning 3D printed gun, were removed today from Cody Wilson’s website Defcad.org by the US Department of Defense Trade Controls, according to his website.
“#DEFCAD is going dark at the request of the SOS Department of Defense Trade Controls. Some shapes are more dangerous than others,” tweeted Wilson. It is not clear if blueprints are available elsewhere.
The Liberator is the brain child of law student Wilson’s company Defense Distributed in Austin, Texas. The blueprints for the gun were released on his website Defcad.org Monday, ready to download for free and be printed by anyone who has access to a 3D printer.
“Where there’s a computer, there’d be a weapon,” “Well, literally where there’s a 3D printer.”
The gun, smaller than a 9mm, is made almost entirely of plastic, except for a metal firing pin, and could cost about $60 to make. It’s capable of firing between eight and nine rounds until the barrel breaks. Not a problem, Wilson said, people can just print another barrel.
Wilson previously printed gun parts, like a lower receiver for the AR-15 and has been working on this project for almost a year.
But he is also quick to point out that this project is political and about access to information. “You know, I don’t think you should be armed, right? But I think you should have to choice to be.”
There are few rules for what someone can or can not make with 3D printing. According to the National Firearms Act in the United States, it is legal for someone to make their own gun, but to distribute or sell it requires a license.
Wilson received his manufacturing licence from the Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) earlier this year, allowing him to distribute his plans online. So far, people from all around the world have downloaded his blue prints.
The 3D Liberator File had been downloaded over 100,000 times
Click to images below to enlarge letter sent Cody Wilson by...
U.S. Department of Defense Trade Controls
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