With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

The Gun That Sparked the 3D-Printed Weapons Debate Has an Unexpected WWII History

With a temporary restraining order issued Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the online publication of blueprints for do-it-yourself 3D-printed guns that are untraceable and undetectable, citing the “possibility of irreparable harm.” The move comes a month after the company behind the plans, Austin’s Defense Distributed, had reached a settlement with the federal government to make the plans downloadable. 

Though the debate over 3D-printed guns has implications for any number of possible future firearms, one such weapon has found itself at the center of the debate: the plastic “Liberator” gun, the brainchild of Cody Wilson

Though an 3D-printed plastic “Liberator” may sound like something out of a futuristic story, its name has a long history. The original Liberator that inspired the 3D-printed version was a little-known, little-used World War II-era sheet-metal pistol, the FP-45 Liberator.

Read entire article at Time Magazine