3D Printed Gun Blueprints Can Legally Be Downloaded Starting Next Month

3d printed gun

The Justice Department has reached a settlement with Defense Distributed which will allow the company to post blueprints for 3D printed guns online. The settlement concludes a lengthy legal battle after the company first uploaded the blueprints for the "Liberator" pistol online in 2013. The State Department ordered the company to remove the blueprints claiming they were in violation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

The Second Amendment Foundation which joined Defense Distributed in the lawsuit against the federal government, announced that "the government has agreed to waive its prior restraint against the plaintiffs, allowing them to freely publish the 3-D files and other information at issue."

“Not only is this a First Amendment victory for free speech, it also is a devastating blow to the gun prohibition lobby,” noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “For years, anti-gunners have contended that modern semi-automatic sport-utility rifles are so-called ‘weapons of war,’ and with this settlement, the government has acknowledged they are nothing of the sort.

As part of the settlement, "the government will draft and pursue regulatory amendments that eliminate ITAR control over the technical information at the center of this case."

The blueprints will be available to freely download starting on August 1st when Defense Distributed relaunches their website, DEFCAD.

Photo: Getty Images


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