Defense Distributed Wins Major Court Case

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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Back in 2012, a guy by the name of Cody Wilson here in Texas started putting files online at his Defense Distributed website (actually the files were served by Kim Dotcom's MegaUpload) that could be used for 3D printing gun parts and subsequently an entire functioning weapon known as the "Liberator." The US Department of State was not very happy about that and sued him for a number of crimes. As of today, the DOJ and the Second Amendment Foundation have reached a settlement that basically says, "Uh, we are sorry Cody, you win. Sorry for suing you for five years. Oopsie." Defense Distributed is back online as of today, with the short statement quoted below. It is odd too see just how much our 1st Amendment and 2nd Amendments intersected in this instance.

Defense Distributed relaunches DEFCAD after reaching a settlement agreement with the US Department of State, concluding a multi-year federal lawsuit. The age of the downloadable gun formally begins.
 
Now I am sure all those government pigs are going to have their salaries docked to reimburse the American taxpayer for what they have wasted yet again. Who am I kidding though right. Working for the public sector means never having to suffer any real consequences.
 
I have some mixed feelings about this one. Mostly I am encouraged that they won the lawsuit. It also makes me far more curious to get a 3D printer and see what I can make. But part of me sees a number of Darwinesque builders who don't follow directions well and blow up their hands...perhaps even me. :D
 
Next up 3D printed assault rifles!
Too late. People have already 3D printed a lower receiver for the AR style of rifles. It's trivial to modify the file to print it to select fire, making it a true "assault rifle." However, the last ones I saw are only good for about 5 shots before it breaks.
 
Too late. People have already 3D printed a lower receiver for the AR style of rifles. It's trivial to modify the file to print it to select fire, making it a true "assault rifle." However, the last ones I saw are only good for about 5 shots before it breaks.

I was not aware of that. I wonder how long until states like say MD ban 3D printers...
 
Next up 3D printed assault rifles!
Bah.. just going to ask cosplay prop makers to use "ballistics grade" for my next Lancer.

Gears-of-War-4_Render_New-Lancer.jpg
 
I think sounds like that something mentioned in this is... a bit more important... than just being able to "print" a gun.
 
Was it the 2nd amendment that saved him?
From federal prosecution, probably in part. Perhaps not state gunsmithing laws/regs., though, depending how comprehensive they were which probably didn't cover this.
 
Was it the 2nd amendment that saved him?
From federal prosecution, probably in part. Perhaps not state gunsmithing laws/regs., though, depending how comprehensive they were which probably didn't cover this.
From the linked article, the lawyer specifically mentioned the lawsuit as "free speech issues," but also talked about the impact on gun rights.
 
Now I am sure all those government pigs are going to have their salaries docked to reimburse the American taxpayer for what they have wasted yet again. Who am I kidding though right. Working for the public sector means never having to suffer any real consequences.
Suit happens under a gun control friendly administration. Settlement occurs under gun friendly administration. I'm not sure it was the pigs on the ground who had much choice in this.
 
Next up 3D printed assault rifles!

ALL rifles are ASSAULT rifles; they are designed to kill. The caliber of the "assault" rifle depends on what one intends to kill e.g. squirrels and other varmints a .22 would do nicely; for deer and reaching out a distance, I prefer a .308. Guns are designed to kill and even the smallest of cailbers can get the job done.

The reason the 2nd amendment exists is due to the personal experience of the framers of the constitution and their experience of living under the tyranny of King George. They built in that "safety valve" to give pause to future tyrants. Enough jibber jabber, time to head to the range and get some weekly training in on my 2nd Amendent rights.
 
Too late. People have already 3D printed a lower receiver for the AR style of rifles. It's trivial to modify the file to print it to select fire, making it a true "assault rifle." However, the last ones I saw are only good for about 5 shots before it breaks.
It isn't the lower that makes an AR15 capable of select. There are several manufacturers that sell lowers capable of support an RDIAS or LL. It is the trigger control group. Sure there are some companies that make a high shelf lower that doesn't accept the above but you can legally mill mhe shelf without repercussion. It isn't till you install an unregistered FA parts in to the lower that you have an issue.
 
All future wars should be fought with these firearms. The most dangerous thing on a 3D-printed rifle right now would be a bayonet, provided it wasn't printed.

Knives would be all the rage real fast.
 
Well that's refreshingly good news. I was a bit worried for this guy (and by this guy I mean everyone and their core rights and freedoms, and information in general).

I see people blur the lines between thoughts, information, and actions more and more lately for the sake of risk management.
 
Too late. People have already 3D printed a lower receiver for the AR style of rifles. It's trivial to modify the file to print it to select fire, making it a true "assault rifle." However, the last ones I saw are only good for about 5 shots before it breaks.
This is incorrect. Defense Distributed sells CNC mills which mill 80% AR lowers. They're highly reliable and do not break after 5 shots. DD also wants to get DoD schematic designs converted to CAD so that people can mill them with a CNC.
 
ALL rifles are ASSAULT rifles; they are designed to kill. The caliber of the "assault" rifle depends on what one intends to kill e.g. squirrels and other varmints a .22 would do nicely; for deer and reaching out a distance, I prefer a .308. Guns are designed to kill and even the smallest of cailbers can get the job done.

The reason the 2nd amendment exists is due to the personal experience of the framers of the constitution and their experience of living under the tyranny of King George. They built in that "safety valve" to give pause to future tyrants. Enough jibber jabber, time to head to the range and get some weekly training in on my 2nd Amendent rights.

Maybe they should be called battery rifles? Just saying.

|poundsign|LawJoke
 
i remember as a kid in jr high there were books about how to make drugs.. illegal ones. but the book is just fine.

Same thing here. Plans and books and such should be legal, but making something that has been deemed illegal should be illegal.
 
ALL rifles are ASSAULT rifles;.

No, they are not. Assault rifle has a very specific set of technical criteria in order to be one. And caliber is indeed part of that definition. This is a common part of criteria for classifying firearms along with mechanism of action. For instance, Battle rifle has specific criteria that involve caliber, sub machine gun has specific criteria that involve caliber, etc.
 
i remember as a kid in jr high there were books about how to make drugs.. illegal ones. but the book is just fine.

Same thing here. Plans and books and such should be legal, but making something that has been deemed illegal should be illegal.
That isn't so simple. For example, you can have and teach the knowledge of how to make ricin but doesn't mean you should make ricin.
 
i remember as a kid in jr high there were books about how to make drugs.. illegal ones. but the book is just fine.

Same thing here. Plans and books and such should be legal, but making something that has been deemed illegal should be illegal.

It is not against federal law to make a firearm for personal use with no license.
 
This is incorrect. Defense Distributed sells CNC mills which mill 80% AR lowers. They're highly reliable and do not break after 5 shots. DD also wants to get DoD schematic designs converted to CAD so that people can mill them with a CNC.
Those CNC mills are for the finishing work of anodized aluminum receivers. What I was talking about was your off-the shelf 3D-printer extruded plastic.
 
Those CNC mills are for the finishing work of anodized aluminum receivers. What I was talking about was your off-the shelf 3D-printer extruded plastic.
That was their original plan but they've moved onto CNC milling.
 
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ALL rifles are ASSAULT rifles; they are designed to kill. The caliber of the "assault" rifle depends on what one intends to kill e.g. squirrels and other varmints a .22 would do nicely; for deer and reaching out a distance, I prefer a .308. Guns are designed to kill and even the smallest of cailbers can get the job done.

The reason the 2nd amendment exists is due to the personal experience of the framers of the constitution and their experience of living under the tyranny of King George. They built in that "safety valve" to give pause to future tyrants. Enough jibber jabber, time to head to the range and get some weekly training in on my 2nd Amendent rights.
You don't even need ammunition to assault someone with a rifle, just use it as a club.
 
ALL rifles are ASSAULT rifles; they are designed to kill. The caliber of the "assault" rifle depends on what one intends to kill e.g. squirrels and other varmints a .22 would do nicely; for deer and reaching out a distance, I prefer a .308. Guns are designed to kill and even the smallest of cailbers can get the job done.

The reason the 2nd amendment exists is due to the personal experience of the framers of the constitution and their experience of living under the tyranny of King George. They built in that "safety valve" to give pause to future tyrants. Enough jibber jabber, time to head to the range and get some weekly training in on my 2nd Amendent rights.

All rifles can be used for assault. Not all are designed specifically for assault.

To mischaracterize something with intent is dangerously ignorant and only serves to deride the proper discussion that should be taking place on why or why not we as a society still have or need these weapons.
 
ALL rifles are ASSAULT rifles; they are designed to kill. The caliber of the "assault" rifle depends on what one intends to kill e.g. squirrels and other varmints a .22 would do nicely; for deer and reaching out a distance, I prefer a .308. Guns are designed to kill and even the smallest of cailbers can get the job done.

The reason the 2nd amendment exists is due to the personal experience of the framers of the constitution and their experience of living under the tyranny of King George. They built in that "safety valve" to give pause to future tyrants. Enough jibber jabber, time to head to the range and get some weekly training in on my 2nd Amendent rights.

Not quite.

The 2nd Amendment was a direct response to the US Constitution allowing a Federally controlled standing Army, something which was not allowed under the Articles of Confederation. Jefferson/Madison were worried that nothing would prevent the Federal government from disarming the various state militias, effectively creating a dictatorship. The 2nd Amendment was thus created specifically to ensure the Federal government can not legally do this.

As for "Assault" rifles, yes, it's an arbitrary term that means nothing in the grand scheme of things. I'd separate guns into tiers based on their ability to penetrate various grades of Kevlar; something you can actually test to and categorize.

EDIT

As for the actual article, I don't think there's any real regulation at either the Federal or State level in regards to requirements on CREATING a gun. Until such action is taken, yeah, there's really not much that can be done by authorities. (And yes, I'm in favor of tighter gun restrictions, but at the end of the day, until regulation catches up, I can't see how printing a gun is a violation of anything).
 
I have yet to see any way to manufacture a barrel and bolt on a 3D printer that would not immediately fail catastrophically.
That may change in the future.
 
All rifles can be used for assault. Not all are designed specifically for assault.

All rifles can be used for a lot of things, including those ostensibly designed specifically for 'assault'.

Trying to mischaracterize these tools is a thinly-veiled political tactic that plays on ignorance.
 
I have yet to see any way to manufacture a barrel and bolt on a 3D printer that would not immediately fail catastrophically.
That may change in the future.

When is the first software-defined 3D forger coming out?

;)

[but seriously, we need this yesterday to build our moon, Mars, and asteroid bases!]
 
No, they are not. Assault rifle has a very specific set of technical criteria in order to be one. And caliber is indeed part of that definition. This is a common part of criteria for classifying firearms along with mechanism of action. For instance, Battle rifle has specific criteria that involve caliber, sub machine gun has specific criteria that involve caliber, etc.

You're going to be hard pressed to find a single, universally accepted definition of "assault rifle." I'm pretty sure one major media outlet exposed its own bias - or at least ignorance - by reporting that an "assault rifle shotgun" was used in a shooting.
 
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