Defense Distributed

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It has been suggested that Cody Wilson be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since May 2013.
For the World War II single shot pistol, see FP-45 Liberator.
For the 3D printed pistol, see Liberator (gun).
Defense Distributed
DD Rings Black
URL www.defdist.org
Commercial? No[1][2]
Type of site Open source digital publishing
Launched July 27, 2012 (2012-07-27)[3]
Alexa rank Increase 133,047 (December 2012)[4]
Current status Active

Defense Distributed is an online, open-source,[1] organization designing a firearm, called a "wiki weapon",[5][6][7] that may be downloaded from the Internet and "printed" with a 3D printer.[5] Among the organization's goals is to develop and freely publish firearms-related design schematics[8] that can be downloaded and reproduced by anyone with a 3D printer.[9]

After raising over US$20,000 via a crowd-funding appeal,[5][9] suffering the confiscation of its first 3D printer,[10] and partnering with private manufacturing firms,[11] the organization began live fire testing of printable firearm components in December 2012.[12][13]

Defense Distributed has to date produced a durable printed receiver for the AR-15,[14][15][16] the first printed standard capacity AR-15 magazine,[17][18][19] and the first printed magazine for the AK-47.[20][21] These files are available for download at the organization's publishing site, DEFCAD.[22]

On May 5, 2013, Defense Distributed made public the STL files for the world's first fully 3D printable gun, the Liberator .380 single shot pistol.[23][24]

On May 9, 2013, the United States Department of State requested that Defense Distributed remove its download links from the public while it determined if they violated the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Defense Distributed voluntarily complied.[25][26]

Contents

History [edit]

Founding [edit]

The defensedistributed.com domain name was registered on June 4, 2012.[3] The website was unveiled in conjunction with an Indiegogo campaign of the same name in July 2012, where the organization asked to receive US$20,000.[5][27] Indiegogo suspended the crowd-funding campaign for a terms of service violation after three weeks, refunding the money raised without offering public comment.[27][28] Defense Distributed continued the appeal on its own website, however, accepting contributions through PayPal and the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, and met its fundraising goal in September 2012.[29]

The organization has been predominantly represented in public since July 2012 by Cody Wilson, who is described as a founder and spokesperson.[7][30]

Defense Distributed lists its members as a mix of students, IT professionals, engineers, and programmers from the United States and Germany.[1]

Purpose [edit]

According to the Defense Distributed website, the nonprofit is organized and operated for charitable and literary purposes, specifically "to defend the civil liberty of popular access to arms as guaranteed by the United States Constitution and affirmed by the Supreme Court, through facilitating global access to, and the collaborative production of, information and knowledge related to the 3D printing of arms; and to publish and distribute... such information and knowledge in promotion of the public interest."[1][11] The websites once had a “Manifesto” page presenting string of quotations from American and British historical figures that could be broadly read to support the right to arms and freedom of speech,[5] but the site's manifesto link now directs users to an online version of John Milton's essay Areopagitica.[31]

The organization’s motivations have been described as "less about [a] gun... than about democratizing manufacturing technology,"[32] In an interview with Slashdot, Cody Wilson described the Wiki Weapon project as a chance to "experiment with Enlightenment ideas… to literally materialize freedom.”[33]

At Bitcoin 2012 in London, Wilson explained the organization as interested in inspiring libertarian forms of social organization and technologically driven inversions of authority.[34]

DEFCAD [edit]

In December 2012, as a response to Makerbot Industries' decision[35][36][37] to take down firearms-related files at the popular 3D printing file library Thingiverse, Defense Distributed launched a companion site at defcad.org.[38][39][40] DEFCAD currently hosts all of the files Defense Distributed believes to have been "censored"[39] from Thingiverse, as well as other files submitted by the public and those related to the Wiki Weapon project.[22][40][41]

In March 2013, at the SXSW Interactive festival, Wilson announced a repurposed and expanded DEFCAD that would serve as a 3D search engine and development hub, while maintaining the spirit of access endemic to Defense Distributed.[42][43][44] The new DEFCAD was deemed "The Pirate Bay of 3D Printing"[45] and "the anti-Makerbot"[44] even before its launch, and has to date raised over US$80,000 through a crowd-funding appeal.[46]

Administration [edit]

Legal status [edit]

Defense Distributed is a pending 501(c)(3) tax exempt charity, and not a weapons manufacturer.[7][11][13] The organization operates to publish intellectual property and information developed by licensed firearms manufacturers and the public.[11]

Cody Wilson has a Type 7 Federal Firearms License (FFL), however.[47][48]

Legal troubles [edit]

Stratasys confiscation [edit]

Learning of Defense Distributed's plans, manufacturer Stratasys, Inc threatened legal action and demanded the return of the 3D printer it had leased to Wilson.[10] On September 26, 2012, before the printer was assembled for use, Wilson received an email from Stratasys claiming that he was using the printer "for illegal purposes".[10] Stratasys immediately canceled its lease with Wilson and sent a team to confiscate the printer the next day.[10][13] Wilson was subsequently questioned by the ATF when visiting the ATF field office in Austin, Texas to inquire about legalities and regulations relating to the Wiki Weapons project.[10]

The Undetectable Firearms Act [edit]

Defense Distributed's efforts have prompted renewed discussion and examination of the Undetectable Firearms Act.[7][48][49][50]

International Traffic in Arms Regulations [edit]

Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Letter from United States Department of State to Defense Distributed (May 8, 2013)

Defense Distributed had been ordered by the United States Department of State on May 9, 2013 to remove the download links to its publicly accessible cad files. The State Department stated in a letter, "Pursuant to § 127.1 of the ITAR [International Traffic in Arms Regulations] it is unlawful to export any defense article or technical data for which a license or written approval is required without first obtaining the required authorization from the DTCC. Please note that disclosing (including oral or visual disclosure) or transferring technical data to a foreign person, whether in the United States or abroad, is considered an export under § 120.17 of the ITAR." This letter most likely was transmitted in light of Defense Distributed Liberator Pistol, a fully functioning firearm with fifteen of the sixteen required parts being entirely manufactured with a 3D printer. Peer to peer torrent sites continue to host the torrents for Defense Distributed cad files. Therefore, only the "official" download links have been removed and the files are still accessible by these means.[51] [25][26]

Reception [edit]

Defense Distributed has received both strong praise and criticism. It has not been endorsed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), which to date has offered no public comment on the organization or its activities. Defense Distributed has been obliquely endorsed by the Gun Owners of America (GOA).[52] Critics have accused the organization of endangering public safety and attempting to frustrate and alter the US system of government.[53][54]

Commenting on Defense Distributed’s frequent theatricality, Aaron Timms of Blouin News described the organization as performing “the greatest piece of political performance art of [the 21st] century.”[55]

Open source software icon Eric S. Raymond has endorsed the organization and its efforts, calling Defense Distributed "friends of freedom" and writing "I approve of any development that makes it more difficult for governments and criminals to monopolize the use of force. As 3D printers become less expensive and more ubiquitous, this could be a major step in the right direction."[56][57]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "About Us". Defense Distributed. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  2. ^ "Defense Distributed". Defense Distributed. Retrieved October 11, 2012. 
  3. ^ a b "Whois Search Results: defensedistributed.com". Retrieved September 21, 2012. 
  4. ^ "DefenseDistributed.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  5. ^ a b c d e Greenberg, Andy (August 23, 2012). "'Wiki Weapon Project' Aims To Create A Gun Anyone Can 3D-Print At Home". Forbes. Retrieved August 27, 2012. 
  6. ^ Bilton, Nick (October 7, 2012). "Disruptions: With a 3-D Printer, Building a Gun With the Push of a Button". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  7. ^ a b c d Doherty, Brian (December 12, 2012). "Disruptions: With a 3-D Printer, Building a Gun With the Push of a Button". Reason.com. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  8. ^ Hobbyist builds working assault rifle using 3D printer
  9. ^ a b Poeter, Damon (August 24, 2012). "Could a 'Printable Gun' Change the World?". PC Magazine. Retrieved August 27, 2012. 
  10. ^ a b c d e Beckhusen, Robert (October 1, 2012). "3-D Printer Company Seizes Machine From Desktop Gunsmith". Wired News. Retrieved October 4, 2012. 
  11. ^ a b c d Hotz, Alexander (November 25, 2012). "3D 'Wiki Weapon' guns could go into testing by end of year, maker claims". The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  12. ^ Beckhusen, Robert (December 3, 2012). "3-D Printed Gun Only Lasts 6 Shots". Wired. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  13. ^ a b c Greenberg, Andy (December 3, 2012). "Here's What It Looks Like To Fire A (Partly) 3D-Printed Gun (Video)". Forbes Online. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  14. ^ Beckhusen, Robert (February 28, 2013). "Watch the New and Improved Printable Gun Spew Hundreds of Bullets". Wired. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  15. ^ Farivar, Cyrus (March 1, 2013). ""Download this gun": 3D-printed semi-automatic fires over 600 rounds". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  16. ^ Biggs, John (March 1, 2013). "Defense Distributed Prints An AR-15 Receiver That Has Fired More Than 600 Rounds". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  17. ^ Greenberg, Andy (January 14, 2013). "Gunsmiths 3D-Print High Capacity Ammo Clips To Thwart Proposed Gun Laws". Forbes Online. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  18. ^ Franzen, Carl (February 7, 2013). "Defense Distributed Unveils New 3D Printed Gun Magazine ‘Cuomo’ (VIDEO)". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  19. ^ Beckhusen, Robert (February 8, 2013). "New 3-D Printed Rifle Magazine Lets You Fire Hundreds of Rounds". Wired Danger Room. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  20. ^ Ingersoll, Geoffrey (March 8, 2013). "3D Printing Company Names AK-47 Magazine After Gun Control Congresswoman". Business Insider. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  21. ^ Branson, Michael (April 8, 2013). "Defense Distributed Releases Printable AK Magazine". The Firearm Blog. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  22. ^ a b Bilton, Ricardo (February 19, 2013). "3D-printing gun site DEFCAD now attracting 3K visitors an hour, 250K downloads since launch". VentureBeat. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  23. ^ "LIBERATOR". Defense Distributed. Retrieved May 5, 2013. 
  24. ^ Greenberg, Andy (May 5, 2013). "Meet The 'Liberator': Test-Firing The World's First Fully 3D-Printed Gun". Forbes. Retrieved May 7, 2013. 
  25. ^ a b "3D-printed gun blueprints pulled from Internet, at request of State Department". CBS News. May 10, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2013. 
  26. ^ a b Nozowitz, Dan. "U.S. State Department Tells Defense Distributed To Take Down 3-D Printed Gun Plans". Popular Science. Retrieved May 10, 2013. 
  27. ^ a b Roy, Jessica (August 23, 2012). "WikiWeapon Campaign to 3D-Print Your Own Gun Suspended by Indiegogo". Betabeat. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  28. ^ Martinez, Fidel (August 27, 2012). "Indiegogo shuts down campaign to develop world's first printable gun". The Daily Dot. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  29. ^ Greenberg, Andy (September 20, 2012). "3D-Printable Gun Project Hits Its Fundraising Goal Despite Being Booted Off Indiegogo". Forbes Online. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  30. ^ Brown, Rich (September 7, 2012). "You don't bring a 3D printer to a gun fight - yet - Yahoo! News". News.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 6, 2012. 
  31. ^ "Want a Free Download of a Semi-Automatic Rifle? Print One!". thelibertarianrepublic.com. March 3, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  32. ^ Brown, Rich (September 6, 2012). "You don't bring a 3D printer to a gun fight -- yet". CNET. Retrieved September 21, 2012. 
  33. ^ "Should We Print Guns? Cody R. Wilson Says "Yes" (Video) -Slashdot". Hardware.slashdot.org. Retrieved October 6, 2012. 
  34. ^ "Bitcoin2012 London". Bitcoin2012.com. Retrieved October 6, 2012. 
  35. ^ Maly, Tim (December 19, 2012). "Thingiverse Removes (Most) Printable Gun Parts". Wired. Retrieved January 14, 2013. 
  36. ^ "MakerBot pulls 3D gun-parts blueprints after Sandy Hook". BBC News. December 20, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2013. 
  37. ^ Pepitone, Julianne (December 20, 2012). "3-D printer MakerBot cracks down on blueprints for gun parts". CNN Money. Retrieved January 14, 2013. 
  38. ^ Limer, Eric (December 21, 2012). "There’s a New Site Just for 3D-Printed Gun Designs". Gizmodo. Retrieved January 14, 2013. 
  39. ^ a b Bilton, Ricardo (December 21, 2012). "Fighting ‘censorship,’ 3D-printed gun designs find a new home". VentureBeat. Retrieved January 14, 2013. 
  40. ^ a b Robertson, Adi (December 21, 2012). "3D printed gun enthusiasts build site for firearm files after MakerBot crackdown". The Verge. Retrieved January 14, 2013. 
  41. ^ Klimas, Liz (January 9, 2012). "Website to The Blaze: People Rushing to Download Online Blueprints for 3D Printed Guns". The Blaze. Retrieved January 14, 2013. 
  42. ^ Greenberg, Andy (March 11, 2013). "3D-Printable Gun Project Announces Plans For A For-Profit Search Engine Startup". Forbes Online. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  43. ^ Farivar, Cyrus (March 11, 2013). "3D printing gunmaker forms company to flout copyright law, à la the Pirate Bay". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  44. ^ a b Bilton, Ricardo (March 11, 2013). "Expanding beyond 3D printed guns, DEFCAD is officially the anti-MakerBot". VentureBeat. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  45. ^ "'Pirate Bay' for 3D printing launched". BBC News. March 12, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  46. ^ "DEFCAD.com". DEFCAD. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  47. ^ "US grants first license to sell 3D-printed guns". Daily Mail. March 18, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013. 
  48. ^ a b LeJacq, Yannick (December 10, 2012). "Defense Distributed’s ‘Wiki Weapon’: U.S. Congressman Steve Israel Offers First Legislative Challenge". Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  49. ^ Hsu, Jeremy (December 10, 2012). "3D-Printable Guns Face Federal Ban". Mashable. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  50. ^ Brown, Rich (December 10, 2012). "The Undetectable Firearms Act and 3D-printed guns (FAQ)". CNET. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  51. ^ Greenberg, Andy (May 9, 2013). "State Department Demands Takedown Of 3D-Printable Gun Files For Possible Export Control Violations". Forbes. Retrieved May 10, 2013. 
  52. ^ Rosenwald, Michael (February 18, 2013). "Weapons made with 3-D printers could test gun-control efforts". The Washington Post. 
  53. ^ "The 15 Most Dangerous People in the World". Wired Danger Room. December 19, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2013. 
  54. ^ Morozov, Evgeny (March 16, 2013). "Open and Closed". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 
  55. ^ Timms, Aaron (March 29, 2013). "The future of 3D printing might be scarier than you thought". Blouin News. 
  56. ^ Raymond, Eric (August 23, 2012). "Defense Distributed". Armed and Dangerous. Retrieved January 14, 2013. 
  57. ^ Kopstein, Joshua (April 12, 2013). "Guns want to be free: what happens when 3D printing and crypto-anarchy collide?". The Verge. 

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Defense Distributed
Wikisource has several original texts related to: Defense Distributed
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