3D-printed gun's first shots spark calls for ban

[Nipuna]

Cut out and kill? (Image: Michael Thad Carter/Forbes Collection/Corbis Outline)

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It's plastic but the future of the first 3D-printed handgun may be far from fantastic. The weapon has been fired by hand – proving that a working pistol can be made from plastic, and creating a new nightmare for gun-control advocates.

Defense Distributed, the controversial group that built the gun, says it aims to change the way governments behave by giving everyone access to firearms. It began designing the weapon last year and printed it out using an $8000 3D printer bought from eBay.

The gun, which uses ordinary ammunition, can only fire a few shots before breaking, but the barrel is easily replaced. All the components are made from plastic, apart from the firing pin, a simple household nail, although a strip of metal has been added to comply with US laws banning undetectable plastic firearms.

Blueprints are now online for anyone to download, and do not require this extra piece. It is legal to make guns for personal use in the US, although a licence is required to sell them. "This tool might be used to harm people," Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson told Forbes magazine. "I don't think that's a reason to not put it out there. I think that liberty in the end is a better interest."

Many disagree and are calling for 3D-printed guns to be banned. "Security checkpoints, background checks and gun regulations will do little good if criminals can print plastic firearms at home," said US congressman Steve Israel.

This article will appear in print under the headline "First shot for printed gun"