Court victory legalizes 3D-printable gun blueprints
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Published on 07-11-2018 06:36 AM
A multi-year legal battle over the ability to distribute computer models of gun parts and replicate them in 3D printers has ended in defeat for government authorities who sought to prevent the practice. Cody Wilson, the gunmaker and free speech advocate behind the lawsuit, now intends to expand his operations, providing printable gun blueprints to all who desire them.
The longer story of the lawsuit is
well told by Andy Greenberg over at Wired, but the decision is eloquent on its own. The fundamental question is whether making 3D models of gun components available online is covered by the free speech rights granted by the First Amendment.
This is a timely but complex conflict because it touches on two themes that happen to be, for many, ethically contradictory. Arguments for tighter restrictions on firearms are, in this case, directly opposed to arguments for the unfettered exchange of information on the internet. It's hard to advocate for both here: restricting firearms and restricting free speech are one and the same.
That at least seems to be conclusion of the government lawyers, who settled Wilson's lawsuit after years of court battles. In a copy of the settlement provided to me by Wilson, the U.S. government agrees to exempt "the technical data that is the subject of the Action" from legal restriction. The modified rules should appear in the Federal Register soon.
What does this mean? It means that a 3D model that can be used to print the components of a working firearm is legal to own and legal to distribute. You can likely even print it and use the product — you just can't sell it. There are technicalities to the law here (certain parts are restricted, but can be sold in an incomplete state, etc) but the implications as regards the files themselves seems clear.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/court...231943763.html
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