First 3D-printed gun passes firing test
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San Francisco - So much for US gun control.
The world's first 3D-printed gun has successfully fired its maiden shot - blasting the US into a new era of gun mayhem in which anyone with access to a 3D printer could theoretically make a plastic gun at home.
The weapon was developed by University of Texas law student Cody Wilson, 25, whose company, Defense Distributed, has published the printable blueprints online.
The company posted video of the first test firing to its website Monday. The test firing was also witnessed by a reporter from Forbes magazine.
According to the company, 15 of the gun's 16 parts are 3D printed. The firing pin is made from a standard nail and allows the weapon to comply with US laws that ban guns that cannot be picked up by a metal detector.
Blueprints for the gun were posted Monday on the company's website, allowing people with access to a 3D printer to make near-undetectable guns without any need for registration, serial numbers or background checks.
Wilson's said his goal with the Liberator is to highlight how technology can render laws and governments all but irrelevant.
"I recognize that this tool might be used to harm people. That's what it is - it's a gun," he told Forbes. "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." Legislators are already pressing for new laws to ban such weapons.//DPA
