Printable Gunmaker About to Test in Texas

[Karloff]

Printable Gunmaker About to Test in Texas

The Wiki Weapon gunmaker claims it has almost all it needs, bar one permit, to start printing off pistols.

Last time Defense Distributed [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/119923-Angry-Minnesotans-Take-3D-Printer-Away-From-Gunmaker] popped up on the radar, it was in connection with its 3D Printer, which manufacturer Stratasys had yanked from Defense Distributed as soon as it realized that the so-called Wiki Weapon gunmaker actually intended to carry through its plan to print off prototype pistols. Defense Distributed has overcome that hurdle, and now intends to complete its project in Texas.

Two Texas companies loaned Defense Distributed the technology it needed to finish its prototype and, in order to make sure the legalities were dealt with, the gunmaker applied for, and expects to be granted, a federal firearms license. Barring accidents, the prototype pistols should be in production and ready for testing before Christmas.

Cody Wilson, Defense Distributor's founder, claims that the project is all about individualism. "I'm really not some guy that's just trying to get everybody to print out a bunch of guns and roll out," said Wilson in an interview with Animal New York [http://animalnewyork.com/2012/3d-printed-guns/]. "This is simply about, hey, look at your printable future."

The WikiWep blog [http://defdist.tumblr.com/post/33475145946/manufacturing-control-system-3d-printing-drm] further outlines the intent of the project, as part of a resistance against the established order. The blog post discusses a patent granted to the Invention Science Fund, intended to prevent printers from carrying out instructions unless the appropriate authorization code was attached to the CAD plan, essentially creating DRM for 3D printers. Said the blog post:

These patent hoarders and manufacturers believe they can fence you in through force of law. And when patents like FDM finally approach expiration, the praetorians of the old order will ensure their monopolies are enshrined for another lifetime. Their friends in government will help them.

Not a moment to lose.

Defense Distributed has applied to become a nonprofit organization, with the stated goal of "charitable public interest publishing." In other words, it intends to eventually distribute printable gun schematics free of charge.

Source: Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/nov/25/3d-wiki-weapons-guns]


Permalink

 

[GoddyofAus]

May as well be Made in China.

 

[Me55enger]

Ink must cost a fortune.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Defense Distributed has applied to become a nonprofit organization, with the stated goal of "charitable public interest publishing." In other words, it intends to eventually distribute printable gun schematics free of charge.

I can see no possible way that this could go wrong. God Speed, Defense Distributed. God Speed.

[/sarcasm]

 

[Haz88]

Guns, resistance against the established order, and praetorians of the old order? Yeah... I support getting rid of DRM and reforming copyright law, but printing guns and babbling about suppression performed by governments seem a bit paranoid. Especially considering that Defense Distributed talked about armed revolutions earlier this year.

 

[AldUK]

Everyone in N. America - "Huh, cool."
Everyone outside of N. America - "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!"

Printable guns... where's my ride off this planet.

 

[BabySinclair]

But, but,

intended to prevent printers from carrying out instructions unless the appropriate authorization code was attached to the CAD plan, essentially creating DRM for 3D printers.

DRM is never breakable right? This has no way of being cracked and then used for mass production, right?

 

[Smooth Operator]

These people really don't seem all there, somehow they imagine this idea stands for everything they find wrong in the world.
Maybe first sit down and collect your thoughts and then make some printable shit.

 

[Rigs83]

I think you are overreacting. this is more a benchmark or proof of concept test. A gun has to deal with something that starts at room temperature and then jumps suddenly to hundreds of degrees while simultaneously creating a massive amount pressure and kinetic force and do it more than once. The same technology that can print a gun can also print a satellite that can survive the force needed to put it into orbit or self combustion engine parts in the future. Before we debate the morality of making a printable pistol I do wish to remind you that Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun] made V2 rockets for Nazi Germany but went on to make the Saturn V for NASA. It is not science or technologies fault for what people decided to do with it. Right now we are communicating through the Internet which was originally designed to allow Generals to communicate even if under nuclear attack but today is used for commerce (legal and otherwise) and entertainment (mainly porn and kittens), all things the original architects never imagined.

 

[JarinArenos]

I'm watching with a sort of worried fascination here. I'm in favor of innovation, and the concepts used - should this succeed - will open up all sorts of interesting applications elsewhere. On the other hand, it also has the distinct potential to create a widespread proliferation of unregistered weapons that could disrupt our nice record-low armed violence rates in the US. Guess we'll see how it hashes out in the long run.

 

[spectrenihlus]

I'm watching with a sort of worried fascination here. I'm in favor of innovation, and the concepts used - should this succeed - will open up all sorts of interesting applications elsewhere. On the other hand, it also has the distinct potential to create a widespread proliferation of unregistered weapons that could disrupt our nice record-low armed violence rates in the US. Guess we'll see how it hashes out in the long run.

An increased supply of guns does not increase the rate of crime, if you were to look at the gun crime rate in Europe before and after the inaction of gun laws you would see that the rate remained the same. Guns do not cause crime, if they did Switzerland would be a backwater hellhole.

 

[Falterfire]

I'm interested in this because honestly a gun is one of the most complex pieces I can imagine coming out of a 3D printer. If it works, that's a good sign that 3D printing technology is actually moving from novelty to actually useful.

 

[Scow2]

Unregistered weapons will keep those who wish to use theirs for ill from knowing where the guns of citizens are. And it will break fascist monopoly on weapons.

 

[TheScottishFella]

But, but,

intended to prevent printers from carrying out instructions unless the appropriate authorization code was attached to the CAD plan, essentially creating DRM for 3D printers.

DRM is never breakable right? This has no way of being cracked and then used for mass production, right?

Someone might of cracked DRM? Someone call Ubisoft there products are no longer safe!

 

[Harmondale2]

Cause thats what texas needs, more easily obtainable guns

 

[Formica Archonis]

Remember when improved mass production meant everyone could get knives cheap and then we all got stabbed to death? Those days sucked.

 

[surg3n]

I think you are overreacting. this is more a benchmark or proof of concept test. A gun has to deal with something that starts at room temperature and then jumps suddenly to hundreds of degrees while simultaneously creating a massive amount pressure and kinetic force and do it more than once. The same technology that can print a gun can also print a satellite that can survive the force needed to put it into orbit or self combustion engine parts in the future. Before we debate the morality of making a printable pistol I do wish to remind you that Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun] made V2 rockets for Nazi Germany but went on to make the Saturn V for NASA. It is not science or technologies fault for what people decided to do with it. Right now we are communicating through the Internet which was originally designed to allow Generals to communicate even if under nuclear attack but today is used for commerce (legal and otherwise) and entertainment (mainly porn and kittens), all things the original architects never imagined.

This ^

I doubt it's even possible yet, to print an actual firing gun without it blowing itself up or failing completely. Maybe better to just let them have it, loose some fingers, and go back to the drawing-in-blood-using-your-stump board. Metal just can't be 3D printed and maintain the required density and properties and geometric accuracy to produce a workable firearm.

 

[titankore]

I like the concept of people now, or soon being able to produce advanced items in their own homes that would normally cost an arm and a leg to make. Things like prototypes for personal inventions, or art, or even custom chess pieces, but producing a gun with a 3d printer just seems like... kind of waste of potential and dangerous. I am afraid that just the rumor that someone could make a functional gun (unlikely due to previously stated mechanical issues) would cause lawmakers to create a restriction on people's ability to get a 3D printer.

 

[Zombie_Moogle]

Defense Distributed has applied to become a nonprofit organization, with the stated goal of "charitable public interest publishing." In other words, it intends to eventually distribute printable gun schematics free of charge.

I can see no possible way that this could go wrong. God Speed, Defense Distributed. God Speed.

[/sarcasm]

If not them, someone else. Might as well see what happens

This technology has a lot of potential in any number of applications. Unfortunate that one of the first things we're doing with it is making more tools to kill each other with, but that's true of many modern advancements (the world wouldn't know half of what it does about medicine or aeronautics if not for the nazis. Very sad statement on humanity, but true regardless)