Print your own weapons

You may have heard of 3D printers. Recently Defense Distributed, a nonprofit group in Texas, designed, printed, and live-fired a handgun made from 3D-printed plastic parts. (They used a few metal parts to keep it legal, but nothing really stops you from using all plastic parts.) You can see the gun in action here. Then they uploaded the printer files to the Internet for free. Anyone who has a 3D printer can use the files to create a weapon.

I think it’s wonderful. Just as solar, wind and hydro power offer independence from the power grid, 3D printed weapons offer independence for people who are otherwise defenseless.

Needless to say, the US government is terrified of the idea. The US State Department demanded that Defense Distributed take down its files, which they did, but by then the files had been downloaded more than 100,000 times. The information is out there, and it’s not coming back.

Like nuclear weapons, the cat is out of the bag. Anyone with the knowledge and the materials can make them. Contrary to the beliefs of some, this makes the world safer, not more dangerous. People with a monopoly on power tend to wield it to harm others. If everyone has the power, than no one has an advantage over another.