3D-printed guns are back on the market, untraceable, and unstoppable

By Alma Fabiani

Updated May 19, 2020 at 03:28 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

When the first 3D printers appeared, people daydreamed about creating their own furniture, some went as far as 3D-printing whole villages, but very few expected the technology would add to the U.S.’ gun problem—and yet here we are. In 2012, Cody Wilson created Defence Distributed, a 3D-printing gun company, considered by many to be the driving force behind this niche industry. In September 2018, Wilson was arrested and charged with sexual assault against a minor, forcing him to step down from the company.

Defence Distributed ended up dying slowly after that, but not without a bang. The company still has many other ongoing legal battles. Why? Because it uploaded and shared 3D-printed gun blueprints online, enabling anyone who has a 3D printer to own a gun—which is now illegal in the U.S. if the gun is fully made of plastic, making it invisible to metal detectors. Last year, when Defence Distributed was submerged by lawsuits left, right, and centre, everyone—the American government included—eased up. The headquarters were shut down, and the leader put behind bars. What could go wrong now?

What if there was no headquarters, no trademarks, and no real leader? Then the government would be unable to trace back to the gun blueprints. That’s exactly the idea that Defence Distributed’s substitute company had. Named Deterrence Dispensed, it uploads files individually on media-hosting sites underpinned by the LBRY blockchain—meaning decentralised platforms owned by its users. Not only are the members of Deterrence Dispensed not waiting for any government’s approval of their blueprints, but they’re also modifying old ones and offering customers more choice.

In an interview with Wired, a member of the group known as ‘Ivan the Troll’ explained how Deterrence Dispensed is more than a big fuck you to the U.S. government, saying, “Even if there was no government telling me I couldn’t do this, I think that I would still do it. I like spending hours and hours drawing stuff on Computer-Aired Design (CAD).” Ivan the Troll does more than “drawing stuff” though, he creates gun designs, adding to the threat that guns already are in America.

3D-printed guns are made of plastic, meaning they’re also a single-shot, disposable device that really can only be fired once, and if not printed perfectly, could potentially misfire and cause injury to the shooter himself. Printers are starting to experiment with metallic parts, but we’re still far from being able to download a file for any kind of gun and just press a button, and let the printer do its job. That’s exactly the reasoning that pro-gun supporters have, but plastic or not, a gun is still a gun.

Mass shootings, gun-related deaths, terrorist attacks… Do we really need more guns, especially in the U.S.? To support his argument, Ivan mentioned the many police shootings of unarmed black men in America, implying that if you can get shot by the police for no reason, you should also own a gun. But a research from Harvard University shows that where there are more guns, there are more murders—simple as that. Sorry Judge Jeneane.

Apart from Deterrence Dispensed, there are thousands more 3D-printed gun enthusiasts worldwide, doing exactly the same, on a smaller scale. There is no way to stop this file-sharing disease. So where do we go from there? We need to talk about gun violence, and why this can’t be our new normal—in the U.S. or anywhere else. The clear uncertainness that surrounds the gun discussion is what blocks it from going somewhere. Then again, some might argue that guns are not the problem, people are.

Keep On Reading

By Abby Amoakuh

McDonald’s addresses impact of boycott related to Israel-Hamas war in new statement

By Charlie Sawyer

Kim Kardashian becomes Balenciaga brand ambassador one year after child abuse controversy

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Husband sues tech company after wife burned and killed by surgical robot

By Abby Amoakuh

Hundreds of bodies found in unmarked graves behind a state jail in Jacksonville

By Abby Amoakuh

Billionaire exposed as first man Ghislaine Maxwell forced Virginia Giuffre to sleep with

By Abby Amoakuh

Watch the first official trailer for Netflix’s new reality TV show, Squid Game: The Challenge

By Abby Amoakuh

From hot ugly to the Ryan Reynolds straight men theory, here’s what you missed on dateTok

By Charlie Sawyer

Amanda Bynes makes Hollywood comeback following conservatorship with new podcast

By Charlie Sawyer

Your favourite author has been labelled as anti-trans (and no, we’re not talking about JK Rowling)

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

From its lack of popularity with young voters to the Nikki Haley wild card, the GOP has had a tough week

By Abby Amoakuh

Influencers are pranking their loved ones by claiming ExxonMobil has invited them on an oil rig brand trip

By Alma Fabiani

Netizens think Taylor Swift attended a New York Jets game to detract from her private jet controversy

By Fleurine Tideman

Is BeReal dead? We asked two social media experts and the app’s COO to find out

By Charlie Sawyer

Doritos faces boycott over new trans brand ambassador’s alleged tweet about 12-year-old

By Abby Amoakuh

Ballerina, beauty queen and Mormon: Who is Ballerina Farm owner, Hannah Neeleman?

By Abby Amoakuh

Far-right influencers try to bail out Elon Musk as Disney and Apple leave X due to antisemitism claims

By Jack Ramage

What is a gymcel? And why is the term problematic?

By Abby Amoakuh

Being delulu at work: A gen Z cop-out or a legitimate self-sabotage coping mechanism?

By Charlie Sawyer

Jennifer Coolidge thanks evil gays during Emmy Awards 2024 acceptance speech

By Charlie Sawyer

Poison seller who promoted death kits on suicide forums tracked down by BBC