https://medium.com/enrique-dans/plastic-guns-and-barn-doors-7c68d8b3805f

The notorious Liberator pistol, created entirely from plastic components printed in 3D, designed by the self-described Texan anarchist Cody Wilson’s Defense Distributed company, is highlighting the many contradictions produced by technological progress.

In the company’s five years of life, it has a 3D printer seized by Stratasys, while 3D model repository Thingiverse has refused to list anything to do with firearms and the US Department of State first closed its website and strictly prohibited the distribution of the plans of its weapon, based on arms exports legislation (too late, because they had already been downloaded by anybody interested in them), only to reach a settlement last month allowing Defense Distributed to freely publish the 3-D files and other information at issue. The government also agreed to pay a significant portion of the plaintiffs’ attorney’s fees, and to return $10,000 in State Department registration dues paid by Defense Distributed as a result of the prior restraint.