On Tuesday, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel vacated a lower court’s injunction that had blocked Defense Distributed from sharing electronic files for 3D printed gun and parts. It was the latest move in a battle between Defense Distributed and the government that’s been going on for more than eight years.
The injunction had been sought by a group of 22 state attorneys general, plus the AG of the District of Columbia. The AGs were terribly concerned by the prospect of Defense Distributed making 3D files available to the public. It threatened their authoritah…and that could not be allowed to continue.
The AGs are apparently blissfully unaware that 3D gun files are already available across the intertubes and can be easily downloaded by anyone who wants them.
Be that as it may, with the injunction now quashed, Defense Distributed, via its DEFCAD site, has made all of its 3D files available to the public. Anyone can download them free of charge and Defense Distributed has released all copyrights on the designs.
As more users download them, that puts the files into the public domain and should prevent the government from being able to claim an ITAR violation again.
The state attorneys general will no doubt move for an en banc hearing of the issue with the Ninth Circuit. And they are probably — even as we speak — trying to get themselves before a judge to argue for an emergency injunction to stop DEFCAD’s 3D file free-for-all until the Ninth can rule again.
But in the mean time, the files are out there. You can download them to your heart’s content. And you should, even if you don’t ever plan to use them. Having them widely distributed and in the public domain keeps them from being being regulated by any officious anti-gun politicians who think that it’s actually possible to stop the signal.
(Oh, and if you want to learn about how to get started in 3D printing, check out our three-part introduction here, here, and here.)
“…Defense Distributed, via its DEFCAD site, has made all of its 3D files available to the public. Anyone can download them free of charge and Defense Distributed has released all copyrights on the designs.”
Kind of a non-issue isn’t it?
The ruling was for the 9th circus only, wasn’t it?
Most of these files are garbage or cost money.
The real files that actually work are readily available for free elsewhere.
No injunction lodged until the full circus can meet, and issue a reversal of the 3 member board?
I’m sure that’s a what the AGs are looking for. Gotta stop this or there’ll be blood in the streets. (Not that there isn’t already ample blood in the progressive-run metro areas)
Have to log in???
Yeah, most of the files are behind a $50 pay wall. TTAG really should fix their misleading article.
Anything new? Or is it the same ol’, same ol’ I’ve had backed up across multiple locations for years?
I registered and logged in. It will not let me download anything.
The internet is forever. And they is a good thing. The Left likes to burn books.
GUESS LOG IN , BIG BROTHER WATCHING YOU ????
Easy to protect your privacy. First, sign up with a VPN service. That’s a Virtual Private Network. No records, no tracking, your address appears to be a server farm.
Next download and install the TOR browser. Adds a whole new level of anonymity. Your true location is bounced thru random computers around the world, and again you are doing that thru a VPN.
Once the TOR browser is running, create a new email account on Protonmail. No personal info collected. You do not have to give a phone number.
Now, go to the DefCAD website and create an account using the TOR browser and your Protonmail email address.
I’ve been downloading a lot of their files tonight just because I hate censorship. I will never 3D print anything, not my interest. And I’ve plenty of real gun anyway.
Back in the early 1990’s I got a copy of Basement Nukes which was published by Loompanics before they went out of business. It was sent to me via the Interlibrary Loan program and came from the Army Intelligence Library in Flagstaff AZ. After that I figured the government knows who I am and stopped worrying about hiding things that weren’t currently illegal.