It was really only a matter of time.
The United States Department of Defense Trade Controls has demanded that Cody Wilson of Defense Distributed pull the blueprints for the first fully 3D printed gun from Defcad. Wanting to stay on the right side of the law, Wilson has complied. The following message, accompanied by the Department of State seal, is on the Liberator page at Defcad:
This file has been 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.
None of this is too surprising really. Alongside the Liberator, the government also requested that Wilson pull the blueprints for the other components that Defense Distributed has made over the past few months. The government will be examining the Liberator and the components to see if they comply with the ITAR, or International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
It’s not known when, or if, the files will be back up on Defcad. That being said, it’s not like the files have been completely removed from the Internet. That’s all but impossible. Over 100,000 people downloaded the file since going up earlier this week, and it’s already being hosted on a number of other Web sites, including The Pirate Bay. Those who want to download the blueprints will be able to do so regardless of any action taken by the government.
While we wait for the government to make its final say on whether The Liberator violates the ITAR, check out this partially 3D printed longbow:
[h/t: Forbes]