Defense Distributed

Defense Distributed
Type of site
 Open source digital publishing
Website www.defdist.org
Commercial No[1][2]
Launched July 27, 2012 (2012-07-27)
Current status Active

Defense Distributed is an online, Open-source hardware[1] organization that develops digital schematics of firearms in CAD files, or "wiki weapons",[3][4][5] that may be downloaded from the Internet and used in 3D printing or CNC milling applications.[3] Among the organization's goals is to develop and freely publish firearms-related design schematics that can be downloaded and reproduced by anyone with a 3D printer or milling machine, facilitating the popular production of ghost guns.[6][7]

The company is best known for developing and releasing the files for the Liberator, the world's first completely 3D printed gun.[8][9] On May 5, 2013, Defense Distributed made these printable STL files public,[10] and within days the United States Department of State demanded they be removed from the Internet, citing a violation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.[11][12]

On May 6, 2015, Defense Distributed, joined by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), brought suit against the Department of State in the Western District of Texas, which denied its preliminary injunction request. It subsequently appealed to the Fifth Circuit, which affirmed the denial, and then the Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case.[13][14][15]

On July 10, 2018 it was announced that Defense Distributed and Second Amendment Foundation had accepted a settlement offer from the Department of State, effectively winning the case and restarting their work.[16][17] Western Washington District Court Judge Robert S. Lasnik subsequently issued an order suspending the settlement and the public release of Defense Distributed's files.[18] Multiple lawsuits are currently filed by state governments and Defense Distributed seeking to challenge or uphold this settlement.

History

Founding

After raising US$20,000 via a suspended crowd-funding appeal,[19][3][7] suffering the confiscation of its first 3D printer,[20] and partnering with private manufacturing firms,[21] the organization began live fire testing of the first generation of printable firearms in December 2012.[22][23]

In its first year of operation the organization produced a durable printed receiver for the AR-15,[24][25][26] the first printed standard capacity AR-15 magazine,[27][28][29] and the first printed magazine for the AK-47.[30][31] These 3D printable files were available for download at the organization's publishing site DEFCAD,[32] but are now largely hosted on file sharing websites.[33][34]

The organization has been predominantly represented in public since July 2012 by Cody Wilson, who is described as a founder and spokesperson.[5][35]

Purpose

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][21] The website's “Manifesto” link directs users to an online version of John Milton's essay Areopagitica.[36]

The organization’s motivations have been described as "less about [a] gun... than about democratizing manufacturing technology,"[37] In an interview with Slashdot, Cody Wilson described the Wiki Weapon project as a chance to "experiment with Enlightenment ideas… to literally materialize freedom.”[38]

At Bitcoin 2012 in London, Wilson explained the organization as interested in inspiring libertarian forms of social organization and technologically driven inversions of authority.[39]

DEFCAD

In December 2012, as a response to Makerbot Industries' decision[40][41][42] to remove firearms-related 3D printable files at the popular repository Thingiverse, Defense Distributed launched a companion site at defcad.org to publicly host the removed 3D printable files and its own.[43][44][45] Public and community submissions to DEFCAD rose quickly,[32][45][46] and in March 2013, at the SXSW Interactive festival, Wilson announced a repurposed and expanded DEFCAD as a separate entity that would serve as a 3D search engine and development hub, while maintaining the spirit of access endemic to Defense Distributed.[47][48][49] The new DEFCAD was deemed "The Pirate Bay of 3D Printing"[50] and "the anti-Makerbot"[49] even before its launch, provided an index of over 100,000 files.[51]

Ghost Gunner

In October 2014, Defense Distributed began selling to the public a miniature CNC mill for completing receivers for the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.[52] For a review of the machine in Wired, Andy Greenberg manufactured a series of lowers and called the machine "absurdly easy to use."[53]

Administration

Defense Distributed was seeking 501(c)(3) federal tax exemption [5][21][54] but they abandoned their application after being denied by the IRS. [55]

The organization operates to publish intellectual property and information developed by licensed firearms manufacturers and the public.[21]

Cody Wilson has a Type 7 Federal Firearms License (FFL).[56][57]

International Traffic in Arms Regulations

Letter from the United States Department of State to Defense Distributed (May 8, 2013).

On May 9, 2013, The United States Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) directed Defense Distributed to remove the download links to its publicly accessible CAD files.[58] The State Department's letter, likely prompted by the Liberator Pistol, referenced § 127.1 of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), interpreting the regulations to impose a prior approval requirement on publication of Defense Distributed's files into the public domain,[59] a legal position noted at the time to suffer from First and Second Amendment infirmities.[59][60]

On May 6, 2015, Defense Distributed filed a Constitutional challenge against the State Department in the Western District of Texas, suing government agents within the DDTC and accusing the government of knowingly violating the company's First, Second, and Fifth amendment liberties.[13][14] Defense Distributed was joined in its suit by the Second Amendment Foundation.[14]

In August 2015, the District Court for Western Texas in Austin denied Defense Distributed's preliminary injunction request.[61] In September 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit similarly ruled against Defense Distributed and subsequently denied an en banc hearing request.[62] A petition was filed with the Supreme Court in August 2017[63] which was denied on January 8, 2018.[64]

Peer-to-peer torrent sites and other repositories continue to host Defense Distributed and other firearms CAD files.[65][11][12]

On July 10, 2018, Wired magazine published the news that Defense Distributed and SAF had accepted a settlement offer from the Department of State.[16] Cody Wilson explained his intention was to immediately relaunch DEFCAD and begin the work of digitizing popular firearms for public consumption.[16] A temporary restraining order was issued by U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik on July 31, 2018.[66] Additional lawsuits have been filed by both sides.[67][68]

Stratasys confiscation

Learning of Defense Distributed's plans in 2012, manufacturer Stratasys, Ltd threatened legal action and demanded the return of the 3D printer it had leased to Wilson.[20] On September 26, before the printer was assembled for use, Wilson received an email from Stratasys suggesting that he might use the printer "for illegal purposes".[20] Stratasys immediately canceled its lease with Wilson and sent a team to confiscate the printer the next day.[20][23] Wilson was subsequently questioned by the ATF when visiting an ATF field office in Austin, Texas to inquire about legalities and regulations relating to the Wiki Weapons project.[20]

The Undetectable Firearms Act

Defense Distributed's efforts have prompted renewed discussion and examination of the Undetectable Firearms Act.[5][57][69][70] The Liberator pistol was cited in White House and Congressional calls to renew the Act in 2013.[71][72]

Reception

Defense Distributed has been obliquely endorsed by the Gun Owners of America (GOA).[73] However, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has offered - to date - no public comment on the organization or its activities.

Open source software advocate 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."[74][75]

Aaron Timms of Blouin News has written Defense Distributed has performed “the greatest piece of political performance art of [the 21st] century.”,[76]

For its activities, Defense Distributed has been accused of endangering public safety and attempting to frustrate and alter the US system of government.[77][78] However, critics have also noted that Defense Distributed has merely offered the means of production back to the masses in a way not too dissimilar from the effect the printing press had on the spread of information and the decentralization of power in societies.[79]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About Us". Defense Distributed. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Defense Distributed". Defense Distributed. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Greenberg, Andy (August 23, 2012). "'Wiki Weapon Project' Aims To Create A Gun Anyone Can 3D-Print At Home". Forbes. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. 1 2 3 4 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.
  6. ↑ Hobbyist builds working assault rifle using 3D printer
  7. 1 2 Poeter, Damon (August 24, 2012). "Could a 'Printable Gun' Change the World?". PC Magazine. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  8. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (May 5, 2013). "Meet The 'Liberator': Test-Firing The World's First Fully 3D-Printed Gun". Forbes. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  9. ↑ Morelle, Rebecca (May 6, 2013). "Working gun made with 3D printer". BBC News. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  10. ↑ Hutchinson, Lee. "The first entirely 3D-printed handgun is here". Ars Technica. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  11. 1 2 "3D-printed gun blueprints pulled from Internet, at request of State Department". CBS News. May 10, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  12. 1 2 Nozowitz, Dan. "U.S. State Department Tells Defense Distributed To Take Down 3-D Printed Gun Plans". Popular Science. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  13. 1 2 Feuer, Alan (May 6, 2015). "Cody Wilson, Who Posted Gun Instructions Online, Sues State Department". The New York Times. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 Greenberg, Andy (May 6, 2015). "3-D Printed Gun Lawsuit Starts the War Between Arms Control and Free Speech". Wired. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Search - Supreme Court of the United States". www.supremecourt.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  16. 1 2 3 Greenberg, Andy (July 10, 2018). "A Landmark Legal Shift Opens Pandora's Box for DIY Guns". Wired. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  17. ↑ Technica), Cyrus Farivar (Ars. "Defense Distributed Settlement Agreement". www.documentcloud.org. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  18. ↑ "US judge blocks release of blueprints for 3D printed guns".
  19. ↑ Martinez, Fidel (August 27, 2012). "Indiegogo shuts down campaign to develop world's first printable gun". The Daily Dot. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 Beckhusen, Robert (October 1, 2012). "3-D Printer Company Seizes Machine From Desktop Gunsmith". Wired News. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  21. 1 2 3 4 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.
  22. ↑ Beckhusen, Robert (December 3, 2012). "3-D Printed Gun Only Lasts 6 Shots". Wired. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  23. 1 2 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.
  24. ↑ Beckhusen, Robert (February 28, 2013). "Watch the New and Improved Printable Gun Spew Hundreds of Bullets". Wired. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  25. ↑ Farivar, Cyrus (March 1, 2013). ""Download this gun": 3D-printed semi-automatic fires over 600 rounds". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  26. ↑ Biggs, John (March 1, 2013). "Defense Distributed Prints An AR-15 Receiver That Has Fired More Than 600 Rounds". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  27. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (January 14, 2013). "Gunsmiths 3D-Print High Capacity Ammo Clips To Thwart Proposed Gun Laws". Forbes Online. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  28. ↑ Franzen, Carl (February 7, 2013). "Defense Distributed Unveils New 3D Printed Gun Magazine 'Cuomo' (VIDEO)". Talking Points Memo. Archived from the original on February 11, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  29. ↑ Beckhusen, Robert (February 8, 2013). "New 3-D Printed Rifle Magazine Lets You Fire Hundreds of Rounds". Wired Danger Room. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  30. ↑ Ingersoll, Geoffrey (March 8, 2013). "3D Printing Company Names AK-47 Magazine After Gun Control Congresswoman". Business Insider. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  31. ↑ Branson, Michael (April 8, 2013). "Defense Distributed Releases Printable AK Magazine". The Firearm Blog. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  32. 1 2 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.
  33. ↑ "Defiant Pirate Bay to continue hosting banned 3D printer gun designs". RT.com. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  34. ↑ Ernesto. "Pirate Bay Takes Over Distribution of Censored 3D Printable Gun". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  35. ↑ 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.
  36. ↑ "Want a Free Download of a Semi-Automatic Rifle? Print One!". thelibertarianrepublic.com. March 3, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  37. ↑ Brown, Rich (September 6, 2012). "You don't bring a 3D printer to a gun fight -- yet". CNET. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Should We Print Guns? Cody R. Wilson Says "Yes" (Video) -Slashdot". Hardware.slashdot.org. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  39. ↑ "Bitcoin2012 London". Bitcoin2012.com. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  40. ↑ Maly, Tim (December 19, 2012). "Thingiverse Removes (Most) Printable Gun Parts". Wired. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  41. ↑ "MakerBot pulls 3D gun-parts blueprints after Sandy Hook". BBC News. December 20, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  42. ↑ Pepitone, Julianne (December 20, 2012). "3-D printer MakerBot cracks down on blueprints for gun parts". CNN Money. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  43. ↑ Limer, Eric (December 21, 2012). "There's a New Site Just for 3D-Printed Gun Designs". Gizmodo. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  44. ↑ Bilton, Ricardo (December 21, 2012). "Fighting 'censorship,' 3D-printed gun designs find a new home". VentureBeat. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  45. 1 2 Robertson, Adi (December 21, 2012). "3D printed gun enthusiasts build site for firearm 3D printable files after MakerBot crackdown". The Verge. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  46. ↑ 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.
  47. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (March 11, 2013). "3D-Printable Gun Project Announces Plans For A For-Profit Search Engine Startup". Forbes Online. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  48. ↑ 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.
  49. 1 2 Bilton, Ricardo (March 11, 2013). "Expanding beyond 3D printed guns, DEFCAD is officially the anti-MakerBot". VentureBeat. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  50. ↑ "'Pirate Bay' for 3D printing launched". BBC News. March 12, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  51. ↑ "DEFCAD.com". DEFCAD. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  52. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (October 1, 2015). "The $1,200 Machine That Lets Anyone Make a Metal Gun at Home". Wired. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  53. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (June 3, 2015). "I Made an Untraceable AR-15 'Ghost Gun' in My Office—And It Was Easy". Wired. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  54. ↑ Coldewey, Devin (October 2, 2012). "3-D printed gun project derailed by legal woes". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  55. ↑ Sumagaysay, Levi (2018-07-11). "3D-printed guns: Settlement paves way for DIY weapons". The Mercury News. Austin, TX. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  56. ↑ "US grants first license to sell 3D-printed guns". Daily Mail. March 18, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  57. 1 2 LeJacq, Yannick (December 10, 2012). "Defense Distributed's 'Wiki Weapon': U.S. Congressman Steve Israel Offers First Legislative Challenge". Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  58. ↑ Preston, Jennifer (May 10, 2013). "Printable-Gun Instructions Spread Online After State Dept. Orders Their Removal". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  59. 1 2 Morris, Kevin (September 27, 2013). "The Liberator: Cody Wilson's armed for a free speech battle". ValleyWag. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  60. ↑ Goldstein, Matthew (June 15, 2013). "Department of State Confirms Prior Approval Requirement for Electronic Exports to Public Domain in Case of 3D-Printable Gun". Thomson Reuters Practical Trade & Customs Strategies. Thomson Reuters. 2 (11): 3–6. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  61. ↑ Doherty, Brian (August 7, 2015). "Defense Distributed Injunction Request Denied in Suppression of Gun-Related Internet Speech Case". Wired. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  62. ↑ "Defense Distributed, of 3D-Printed Gun Fame, Requests Rehearing on Denial of Its Injunction Against the State Department for Crushing Its Free Speech Rights". Reason.com. 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  63. ↑ "Can a Court Arbitrarily Conclude That 'Security' Overrules the First Amendment?". Reason.com. 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  64. ↑ "Search - Supreme Court of the United States". www.supremecourt.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  65. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (May 9, 2013). "State Department Demands Takedown Of 3D-Printable Gun Files For Possible Export Control Violations". Forbes. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  66. ↑ "3D-printed gun website yanks CAD files after federal judicial order". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  67. ↑ "8 states take aim at 3D gun company, sue to get files off the Internet". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  68. ↑ "Defense Distributed Sues New Jersey, Los Angeles Over Legal Threats". Reason.com. 2018-07-29. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  69. ↑ Hsu, Jeremy (December 10, 2012). "3D-Printable Guns Face Federal Ban". Mashable. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  70. ↑ Brown, Rich (December 10, 2012). "The Undetectable Firearms Act and 3D-printed guns (FAQ)". CNET. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  71. ↑ Pérez, Evan (November 15, 2013). "ATF tests show 3-D guns lethal as metal detection law expires". CNN.com. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  72. ↑ Schmidt, Michael (November 28, 2013). "Law Limiting Plastic Guns Set to Expire". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  73. ↑ Rosenwald, Michael (February 18, 2013). "Weapons made with 3-D printers could test gun-control efforts". The Washington Post.
  74. ↑ Raymond, Eric (August 23, 2012). "Defense Distributed". Armed and Dangerous. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  75. ↑ Kopfstein, Janus (April 12, 2013). "Guns want to be free: what happens when 3D printing and crypto-anarchy collide?". The Verge.
  76. ↑ Timms, Aaron (March 29, 2013). "The future of 3D printing might be scarier than you thought". Blouin News.
  77. ↑ "The 15 Most Dangerous People in the World". Wired Danger Room. December 19, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  78. ↑ Morozov, Evgeny (March 16, 2013). "Open and Closed". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  79. ↑ Oremus, Will (2012-10-02). "Designer of 3-D Printable Gun Has His 3-D Printer Seized". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
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