Hasta La Gadget!

It was the summer of 2012 when the first news of a 3D-printed gun surfaced, an assault rifle-style .22 that appeared on a message board devoted to the love of firearms. That weapon was believed to be the first 3D-printed gun successfully fired, but its fame was short lived, with The Liberator having caught popular attention soon after for being the first fully 3D-printed firearm. After being successfully fired, the company behind it – Defense Distributed – released the blueprints for anyone to download, something the Department of Defense has already stymied.

The Liberator was created by 25-year-old law student Cody Wilson of Defense Distributed. The gun was designed in such a way that it can be easily recreated by others who have access to a 3D printer, making the firearm a weapon that can be theoretically mass produced on a very accessible consumer level. The gun, which resembles a toy with its square plastic body, is made from easily obtainable ABS plastic and has a total of 16 parts. Although it is hailed as the first fully-printed firearm, it does have a metal firing pin due to the inability of plastic to withstand the force. The weapon was designed to fire ordinary handgun rounds, of which various calibers can be used thanks to an interchangeable barrel.

The Liberator was test fired on Monday, May 6. Unfortunately, the testing phase didn’t fare as well as Wilson had hoped, with the first attempt resulting in a misfire and the second – which involved a 5.7 x 28 rifle cartridge – ending with the handgun being blow into shrapnel, perhaps making the Liberator the first 3D-printed explosive device, as well. Such a result didn’t slow them down too much, however.

As we noted earlier this month, Wilson planned to release his blueprints on the database website Defcad.org, where other CAD files for printable guns are available. He ultimately followed through with this plan, making the blueprints available for others to download today. In a short span of time, the file was saved over 100,000 times, a reality that has quickly been halted by the government.

As of now, the DefCad website displays a banner reading: “DEFCAD files are being removed from public access at the request of the US Department of Defense Trade Controls. Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information.” This followed a letter sent by the State Department’s Office of Defense Trade Compliance demanding the blueprints be removed while a review was performed to see whether they count as class one munitions. It is possible Defense Distributed violated the Arms Export Control Act as a result of releasing information without authorization that is under control of the International Traffic in Arms Regulation.

On one side of the fence, many have expressed concerns about the ability for anyone to download blueprints for printing their own firearms, something that could result in obtaining weapons without a background check and facilitate access for felons and the mentally ill. In addition, 3D printed guns wouldn’t have serial numbers, an issue posing its own problems. On the other hand, however, are those who say access to such information is the right of a free people, and that blocking access to it is a restriction of one’s rights.

Wilson is in the latter camp, quoted as saying: “I immediately complied and I’ve taken down the files. But this is a much bigger deal than guns. It has implications for the freedom of the web.”

[via BetaBeat]

Department of Defense gives banhammer to 3D-printed gun blueprints is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve seen some Dead Space Plasma Cutters before – even some with real lasers, but hey, lasers are always cool, so check this one out and be very impressed. The craftmanship and attention to detail here is simply stunning.

It was made by Patrick Priebe of Laser Gadgets. This weapon can actually do some serious damage, which is great if you find yourself on a derelict spaceship full of killer aliens.

Just like the video game gun it can go from vertical to horizontal and back again and as shown in the video, it can burn things of course.  It’s powered by three bright 30mW green lasers for aiming, and a 1.5W blue laser for burning stuff. While Patrick doesn’t offer plans or a build guide for his Plasma Cutter, he will build and sell you one if you have enough money.

[via Obvious Winner]

We have talked about the 3-D printed gun making company called Defense Distributed. These guys have designed components for weapons in the past that are made using standard 3-D printers. In the past, the company has worked on making individual components for existing weapons, recently it test fired its first fully 3-D printed gun. Things didn’t end too well for that prototype weapon.

Forbes reports that the weapon survived its initial test, which was handled by a budget remote system consisting of a long piece of string. That initial test saw the weapon fire a standard.380 handgun cartridge with no visible damage. The weapon was fired by simply pulling a string from a distance of about 20 feet reports Forbes.

The odd weapon used a number of 3-D printed springs, a trigger mechanism made using the 3-D printer, and other components. The only parts of the weapon that weren’t made using a 3-D printer were the actual.380 round and a nail used as a firing pin. Forbes reports that a second test using a.380 round, prior to the rifle cartridge explosion, resulted in a misfire.

Another test firing was also conducted that day with the same weapon using a more powerful rifle cartridge. The particular cartridge in this case was a 5.7 x 28 rifle cartridge. The gun was again fired using the long string remote method. The weapon didn’t fare so well this time and reportedly exploded into a cloud of 3-D printed shards when the string was pulled.

[via Forbes]

Liberator 3-D printed gun gets test fired is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The United Nations spends a lot of time considering things that could be used against humans during times of war. One of the things that the UN has been considering recently are the use of automated robots with weapon systems on the battlefield. The UN is strongly against any use of autonomous robots with the ability to end human life.

While many of us immediately think of science fiction when it comes to robots with the ability to kill humans with no input from a human operator, we’re not talking about far-fetched Terminator style robots. What the UN is worried about are automomous robots such as aerial drones able to identify targets and launch missiles or drop bombs with no human interaction.

The UN is also concerned about weapons such as small mobile robots using tank-like treads that are equipped with guns and other weapons systems that can roll through an environment engaging targets on their own volition. It is worth noting that most of these weapon systems are available, but they are typically controlled by a human operator from afar.

The UN recently issued a 22 page report talking about lethal autonomous robotics or LARs weapon systems. The UN wants member states to work to articulate a policy for the international community that would ban robots and robotic systems from being able to take human life without human intervention. The human report says, “[LARs] deployment may be unacceptable because no adequate system of legal accountability can be devised, and because robots should not have the power of life and death over human beings.”

[via Inventorspot]

UN denounces killer autonomous robots is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I think we can all agree that growing up, getting in a spit wad fight with someone was fun right up to the point where you got hit with a spit wad. After that, it’s really gross and you really just don’t want to play anymore. A new project has turned up on crowdfunding site Indiegogo that takes spit wad wars to the next level.

The project is called Paper Shooters and is for some cool cardboard assault rifles that are able to shoot paper ammunition up to 75 feet. These things remind me a bit of Airsoft guns, only they shoot what appears to be paper pellets. You can even create your own ammo according to the designers. The Paper Shooter comes as a kit made out a special cardboard that has been treated for durability. The kits also have a plastic skeleton and internal mechanism for durability.

A pledge of $45(USD) will get you your very own Digital Ops camo kit. For $65, you can get the blood-spattered Zombie Slayer or the blinged-out Golden Touch model, which has a shiny golden shell. For $185, you can pick up all three shooters, along with 150 pieces of ammo, and a zombie head target. Additional magazines are available for $10 each, and additional ammo sells for $8 for 50 paper wads.

Keep in mind that these are definitely not kid’s toys, and its creators say it is intended for users ages 14 and up only.