Defense Distributed, the 3D printing outfit founded by 25-year-old law student Cody Wilson, seems to have made good on its promise. The pending 501(c)(3) nonprofit was founded with the vision of defending second amendment rights against anti-gun laws by allowing people to simply print their guns at home on a 3D printer.
Now, Defense Distributed is showing off the fruits of its labor — a gun that the company says can fire standard handgun rounds. The firearm is built almost completely out of plastic — the only metal components are the firing pin and a 6-ounce chunk of steel specifically inserted so that the gun cannot elude metal detectors.
The gun, named The Liberator, was announced about eight months ago and firearm enthusiasts as well as 3D printing enthusiasts have been waiting in anxious anticipation ever since. They won't need to wait long to try out the 3D gun schematic once it's uploaded. Staples announced on Friday that it would begin selling the Cube 3D printer online for $1,300 and starting in June, the printer would be available in brick-and-mortar stores.
Not everyone is thrilled with the new technology, though. Congressman Steve Israel is wasting no time in calling for a ban on the plastic firearm, issuing the following response to the Forbes story that initially broke the news:
"Security checkpoints, background checks, and gun regulations will do little good if criminals can print plastic firearms at home and bring those firearms through metal detectors with no one the wiser," his statement reads. "When I started talking about the issue of plastic firearms months ago, I was told the idea of a plastic gun is science-fiction. Now that this technology is proven, we need to act now to extend the ban [on] plastic firearms."
