The first gun made with 3D printer technology has been fired in the United States, with the company behind it, Defense Distributed, planning to make the blueprints available online.
The group which spent the most of 2012 trying to create the firearm tested the gun at a firing range in Texas, despite fierce campaigning against the access to automatic and semi automatic rifles by President Barack Obama.
HumanIPO interviewed Cody Wilson, of Defense Distributed, in November last year, when the company was still seeking a firearms licence.
The project has received widespread criticism from anti-gun campaigners with other law enforcement agencies such as those in Europe saying they were monitoring the projects’ developments, reported the BBC.
Among those who have criticised the project are cybercrime activists who said placing of such blueprints online would increase the threat posed by firearms as it remained hard for criminals to access the technology right away.
“But as time goes on and as this technology becomes more user friendly and more cost effective, it is possible that some of these risks will emerge.” Victoria Baines, from Europol’s cybercrime centre told the BBC.
However the company that is headed by a 25-year-old law student Wilson called the success momentus.
“I think a lot of people weren’t expecting that this could be done,” he said.
Although many are opposed to the idea behind the project, many see 3D printing as the future of manufacturing with many consumers hoping one day to be able to own similar printers as to design and print items at home.
A gun made from a 3D printer currently costs US$8,000 with the company saying that its project would help sustain the demand for guns.
He also described the project as bringing liberty to the world where many can access items without being dictated by politicians.
“I’m seeing a world where technology says you can pretty much be able to have whatever you want. It’s not up to the political players anymore.”
As much as the project is welcome to gun lobby groups it is likely that it might also see a negative response from gun manufacturers who are likely to feel the pinch should gun 3D printing go full throttle.
