The Gun in the Machine: 3D-PRINTED FIREARMS ARE HERE TO STAY- AND I'M NOT WORRIED

摘要

ON MAY 5, 2013, THE WORLD'S FIRST 3D-printed plastic gun was fired. Called the Liberator, it was designed and output by a group called Defense Distributed, headed by a 25-year-old Texas law student and committed libertarian named Cody Wilson. Hand-wringing and debate ensued. Depending on whom you asked, the 3D-printed gun was a deadly threat or an important Second Amendment advance - but, whether they feared it or loved it, most commentators agreed that the Liberator was a major milestone of some kind. Now that a year has passed, it's time to ask just how broadly the gun has transformed society.