A couple of weeks after Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed corporation showed the world “the Liberator,” the first 3-D printed handgun, an engineer from Wisconsin has created his own more efficient version of the gun for a much lower price.
Unlike Wilson, who used an $8,000 Stratasys printer, the engineer, who simply goes by his first name, Joe, was able to use a less sophisticated 3D printer, a $1,725 Lulzbot AO-101. Joe improved the design so that “the Lulz Liberator” was able to fire nine times and remain intact, as reported by Forbes.
All the pieces for the “Lulz Liberator” were printed in 48 hours and the two spent only $25 on materials, making this design much more accessible for the average person.
On first attempt, Joe — and fellow engineer Michael Guslick — used the Stratasys printer and found that the barrel would explode after the first shot was fired. Using the Lulzbot printer, the barrel was able to withstand up to nine shots, although it misfired several times, and the firing pin and some screws needed to be replaced midway through the test.
Despite receiving government permission to manufacture firearms, earlier this month, the State department ordered Defense Distributed to remove their online blueprints.
The Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 makes it a federal offense to “manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive” a weapon that cannot be detected by metal detectors or x-ray machines. The law gives some exceptions to manufacturers that want to test a certain design or make a prototype, however it is still unknown how the government will deal with the regulation of 3D-printed guns.
The “Lulz Liberator” is one step closer to making guns more accessible to Americans. As states are considering increased gun control legislation, some people are turning to 3D printers and the Internet to take matters into their own hands and retain their Second Amendment right.
Watch the video below to see the new “Lulz Liberator” in action.
