I'm Cody Wilson, founder and director of Defense Distributed, and the guy trying to make 3D printed guns a reality. Ask my anything.

Do you think its a possibility that your actions could unintentionally lead to knee-jerk government restrictions on the 3D printing industry by those who see your actions as dangerous and provocative?

Yes. In fact, I've heard there are legislative working groups that are right now studying how to regulate and license printers or materials.

We won't have the luxury of going unnoticed. I share some blame, if you want to think of it that way, but I hope the community can band together with civil liberties groups and defend its technology.

Watched your VICE special. Fuck that NYTimes guy. He tried to play off what you're doing as some 'rebellious teenager' acting out. Keep up the good work, man.

EDIT: Also, check out the various gun-related subs, if you have a chance. You can find a list of them HERE.

Yes, his commentary is dismissive in the extreme.

To verify: https://twitter.com/Radomysisky/status/317345473440645121

In a perfect world (by your definition of such) how would a legislature respond to the existence of printable weapons?

They'd respond by disappearing.

Hey Cody, I've been following Defense Distributed for some time and was happy to see you start to get some major attention.

I run a small radio show based out of the /r/anarcho_capitalism subreddit where you're a fairly hot topic (and would probably fit right in!). We're called Decline to State (http://declinefm.com). I got a bunch of people from the community together to do a cast almost a year ago now, and we've had guests on ranging from Tom Woods and Stefan Molyneux to Judge Jim Gray (libertarian VP candidate).

If you'd be interested in joining our podcast, let me know and we'll work something out. We've been hoping to have you on for a while, and now that I know you're aware of Reddit's existence, so you're on the radar!

Also, stop by /r/anarcho_capitalism and hang out with us down there. If anyone's gonna be buying your stuff, it's us.

Email me, bud. [email protected]

Was the staff of Vice high all the time?

Just angsty and dark.

Why do you think people are afraid of you, but not the DIY chemists who can make homemade cryogens, vitriol, explosives, and poisonous gas for harmful purposes?

As a side note, your political commentary has been a nice thing to listen to to get a break from the little child's playpen we call political correctness, so even though i do not always agree with you, thank you for helping to bring the more complicated issues into the light.

People are afraid of what they're told to fear.

They don't know to fear DIY chem haha.

As a philosophical matter, why are you an anarchist?

Because I naively think that people are good, and that markets are good, and that equality is good, and that force and injustice are bad.

I don't really have a question right now but I will say that while I don't necessarily agree with what you are doing I do think it is important.

I appreciate your honesty.

A few things, are you using 3D printing because it is a hot topic? For instance can't this same thing be done using a CNC machine to build fully functional rifles? And if you're representing the futility of prohibiting firearms, aren't there more examples to exploit such as the vast amount of guns already available?

I hear what you're saying, but no this project began as an experiment in 3D printing specifically. We didn't think it would be so big, and we aren't making claims that 3DP is the best way to do this, but it seems to be connecting with people in a new way.

We've all seen the birth and growth of the open source software movement. Do you believe you may be at the forefront of the coming open source hardware movement? If so, what do you envision for the future?

I think the guys at http://opensourceecology.org/ are at the forefront of open source hardware, but we hope to be friendly peers. They've reached out, and we're happy to work together.

Political philosopher here. Re: questions on anarchism: there are two main branches--individualist and collectivist. Individualist anarchism wants freedom (usually) due to individual rights, while collectivist anarchists have a fundamental concern for equality in terms of wealth and domination. Anarcho-capitalists, and OP, are individualist anarchists. They share the common anti-state, pro-voluntary agreement foundation for human interaction. But collectivist anarchists focus on the domination inherent in social structures within capitalism--along the lines of Marxist exploitation and restrictions in freedom that result from being in wage-labor--while individualist anarchists only care about the state (the collectivists care about both). Libertarianism, as understood today, is rooted in individualist anarchism, while Occupy Wall Street and other on-the-ground progressive movements are more rooted in collectivist anarchist principles (especially with the combination of belief in change from below and equality) in practice.

Gun control is obviously opposed by individualist anarchists but interestingly, there's some tension in collectivist anarchist thought. In principle, they oppose all forms of coercion and see that via voluntary agreement people will come to more egalitarian and "fair" social arrangements, but given that we live within a coercive state, many collectivist anarchists endorse gun control in the name of promoting human well-being and protecting people; they think gun control would be taken up voluntarily in a collectivist anarchist society, but since we don't live in one, they seem to compromise and say we should have gun control that everyone doesn't agree to. The same is the case with social welfare. This issue of applying collectivist anarchist principles to American politics is definitely a source of tension for American collectivist anarchists.

If interested in individualist anarchism: check out Nozick, Rothbard, Hayek, and Stirner, among others I'm not that famliar with. If interested in collectivist: check out Kropotkin, Proudhon, Bookchin, or Colin Ward, among others. It's a really rich tradition that's relatively unknown, even in academia.

I identify with Proudhon. People should upvote your comment and check out C4SS.org.

Not a question, just a comment. I have been following defense distributed from nearly the beginning and saw its potential as a means of providing firearms access to individuals around the world. It is truly revolutionary since these files can be transferred (nearly) instantaneously to every corner of the globe. It diffuses power from centralized government or rogue states to individuals, creating a world where individuals will no longer live according to the whims of others.

I want this to be true. And thank you for following us.

There's a thread of disdain that runs through a lot of the commentary online about you. People basically see you as a weirdo loner: a guy who's a law student but doesn't really go to law classes (not that that's rare), who has no friends, and displays no interest in anything beyond the printable gun project. So: do you have friends that aren't 3D guns or somehow associated with the 3D project broadly understood? What do you do to have fun? Why are you bothering to finish a law degree?

I think there's an interest in painting me as a marginal and lone figure to explain me away, but this just isn't accurate. I'm an affable guy. Class president in high school and college. You might like me if you met me.

But I'm still happy to let that lone weirdo thing stay out there. Spooking progressives is valuable.

It's been possible to make AR lower receivers at home (with an equipped metal-working shop) for decades- milling it from a block of steel. Takes more work than 3D printing it, though.

The big revolution isn't that it is now possible to make your own weapons. That's been true for a long time. What's important is that it is now easier (less investment of time, money, and skill) than ever before- I think a lot of people aren't really aware that this is the change your work is bringing.

Do ya think people have a different conception of 3D printed weapons, given the fact that they are don't know it's been possible to make your own weapons for decades? How do you think they react differently?

Yes, a great deal of media-driven confusion over this. I genuinely think many journalists were unaware people were making their own guns before this story popped off.

fuck you for calling me out on how Makerbot doesnt give a shit about open source and the community

Ahhh I needed this.

What is the advantage of printing a gun versus purchasing a registered one that has a better build quality and is less prone to failure?

I don't think there's a direct personal advantage in printing a gun versus making or purchasing a traditional one. Printed guns aren't even proven technology, and are extremely impractical devices from my experience. But there is a symbolic advantage to the individual in being at least capable of printing one.

What is your objective, overall? (I know others have danced around this question but it's still not clear to me.) Is it simply to demonstrate the limitations of this legal regime of control (which are similar to the limitations of any legal regime of control), or do you want to turn this into something that will make you money once the demonstration is complete, or what?

I don't see a clear path to money, to be honest. And the goal is more strict than you would think- we want it to be true statement that a firearm is printable. Turns out this takes a lot of work, and we've only just got the license to begin trying.

In the interview where Glenn Beck gets frustrated at not being able to corner you politically you used the phrase "the self under siege". Did you take this idea from Rick Roderick and if so has he been an influence on you?

Yes! Roderick is a fantastic and accessible teacher. And though it may not have been conscious, I know I was taking from his lectures, which are preserved for us all on YouTube.

Would you consider making illegal designs and spreading them anonymously through torrents, darknet etc? You know, if this all gets illegal too fast, or if you are overcome with a desire to design silencers without a license or, shit, even automatic firearms?

Definitely. That's going to happen.

How much hate mail do you get? Judging by some of the posts here, I imagine it's a lot.

Yeah quite a bit, but it has really died off after 2012 and Sandy Hook.

I believe you've referred to aspects of the project as revolutionary in nature. Do you make any sort of distinction between a traditionally physical act of revolution involving a physical overthrow of an established power structure (to whatever degree is irrelevant) verses the technologically-driven process of decentralized human empowerment?

In other words - because DefDist involves enabling people to utilize emerging technology rather than some sort of physical resistance, is there any sort of valid distinction to be made? Is it even the same thing at all?

Also - just want to let you know that I really appreciate what you're doing and where you're coming from.

The revolutionary imagination is led toward real violence, but I think this project is powerful because it shifts the struggle into the symbolic realm.

The physical resistance is to now unnecessary. You make everyone with a 3D printer a possible criminal, creating suspicion. Can the system handle such a challenge as 3D printing reaches into suburbia?

Will defcad.com still be launched even if it does not meet it's final goal? Support the idea 200%

For sure.

If you had to guess, what action would the government take if they feel threatened by Defense Distributed, regarding 3D printing weapons?

This is what bothers me personally. I'm not sure this is a subversive project specifically because I'm not experiencing more public-sphere opposition.

Then there's the point about CNC milling. This project to be most engaging in an abstract sense.

Guys it's been real. Hope I actually answered some questions that haven't been asked out in the media.

Check out defcad.com when you can. I'll be seeing you later.

Your philosophy video on youtube was very interesting and enjoyable to watch. You seem to be erudite and well read with an eclectic library of philosophy and literature. You read from Anthony de Jasay to Slavoj Zizek and everything in between. What draws you to read certain literature/philosophers (also recommend ones you would deem essential)? Why do you also seem muted about your philosophy when doing interviews?

Pure curiosity. It's funny to see you say muted. I feel like I name drop too much in interviews, to be honest.

Often I find whatever I'm reading is relevant to what I'm doing.

What made you think "I'm going to print a gun"? Was it the challenge of seeing how far you can take a new piece of technology? Or just a fuck you to those who are anti-assault weapon?

We had the idea before the AWB was back in the news. The ambition was to kill the spirit of gun control entirely. We haven't won yet, but we're getting there.

I've been following defcad.org for a few months now and have seen a few of your interviews. What I find most interesting about what you are doing is how it isn't so much about just "3d printable receivers/firearms" as it is an ideology of true freedom of information and the empowerment that can have. I truly applaud what you are doing!

Thanks so much for that. The project is a cool way to unpack these ideas.

[deleted]

Yes. And it's a worrisome analogy. What do you think of it?

Have you looked into printing cartridge cases at all? The problem of course is the pressure.

Yes, in fact I've got a license to do ammo as well. More on that soon...

How do you feel about the Undetectable Firearms Act (which is scheduled to expire at the end of the year unless renewed), especially where 3D firearms printing is concerned?

It's an Act that keeps you from making a printable gun. But not a "manufacturer" of firearms. So a subtle irony is that a wiki weapon bill wouldn't stop the wiki weaponeers.

What do you think will happen when gun manufacturers start losing money? Will they begin to push for restrictions? What about gun shop owners?

I wonder how realistic this is. Definitely no push right now, the tech just isn't there.

What do you think of this challenge?

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/willardfoxton2/100008957/if-you-can-3d-print-a-gun-at-home-youre-welcome-to-shoot-me-with-it/

I accepted and will shoot him. We've worked it out, tell your friends.

Does does Defdist have any plans to make something like a beta c-mag or a bump stock? Those would be conversation starters.

We were looking at slide fire stocks and bump stocks. I think we'll do it, just not itching to violate a patent yet.

What would you think if people started printing your gun/accessory designs en masse and selling them for profit? (Federal licensing aside). Would you be happy that they were being proliferated or would you want some kind of compensation?

I'm down for that. That should happen. Do it.

Do you have any regrets about forming Defense Distributed?

In the sense that now has its own life, that gives you pause. It's a thing with or without you. That's heavy...

But I don't regret what we've done so far.

Go do Joe Rogan's podcast Cody!

Totally willing.

Who are your biggest critics? Essentially, what group or lobby is giving you the most problems considering your overall mission?

I don't see a clear oppositional group forming. Anti-gunners have the same responses as ever, and so they're essentially not engaging. Congresspeople think the internet is a series of tubes and so are in disbelief or are disinterested.

I see no convincing enemy yet.

Who is funding your operation right now?

Donors and google ad money. Why, thinking about giving me a mil?

Why haven't you (or have you) tried to print a .22LR suppressor ? You can easily try different baffle designs. Is current low-end 3D printing technology good enough to print threads that can screw directly onto a threaded barrel ?

Well it's basically illegal to do this without filing some paperwork and paying a tax to the ATF first, so if anyone sees this... don't print a suppressor and go talking about it.

We're pursuing class 2 manufacturing status though, so I fully intend to see what SLS/SLA and other tech can do with suppressors.

I completely support everything you are planning on doing. Besides further financial donations, how can I help? I also noticed on Alex Jones you hinted about a fully functional gun that might be happening within a month. Care to share anymore details?

Haha, not yet. Fun stuff though.

Do you have plans to develop or use stronger polymers when printing? Do you see the use of plastics as more or less advantageous to the more traditional metals used in manufacturing parts?

Materials development is so expensive, we're just not in a place to be those people. But I have got access to some experimental materials that are rolling out... Metal does seem to be a mental roadblock for some people. Why shouldn't we be excited about new materials families?

What are DD's biggest challenges right now? Funding, regulation, media, technical stuff?

I'd say the compliance costs and time are KILLER. Takes so much mental effort.

We have enough money and resources to get a printed gun done, I'm pretty sure.

If there was one person from all human history you could meet and converse with, who would that be?

Jesus of Nazareth most likely.

So how long you think it'll be before you start getting C&D dogpiled by established firearms manufacturers, if not just eliminated by some corporate hitman?

Not this month. Perhaps if we rip off some glock stuff.

Don't you worry that the ATF is going to just kick down your door one night and haul you off to gitmo, for no legitimate reason?

Not exactly. There's at least the fig leaf of law and order, so the ATF has to wait until I make a mistake.

Do you have plans to develop other printable firearms besides AR15s?

For sure. In fact, we've done about as much as is possible on the AR platform in fused deposition ABS. .223/5.56 is a high pressure round, and doing an upper and barrel is not realistic.

Wiki Weapon is the original idea of Defense Distributed. This is essentially a one shot firearm firing a common handgun round. That is what we're working on presently.

I know it's got shit-all to do with the political statement of making lower receivers easily accessible for everyone to create in their home, but have you ever thought of expanding this kind of technology for other things? In the realm of airsoft and paintball, I mean. Stuff for shits and giggles.

And while I'm here I'd like to say that this idea is pretty awesome and I hope you guys get an entire rifle out there pretty soon.

For sure. This is what I imagine defcad.com to be- a place for digitized things

Shouldn't the real headline be "3D Printers Fail At Making Practical Guns"?

Depends on who's writing. And "practical" is a slippery term isn't it? The jury remains out on printed guns as well. Only a few people are in a position in this country to do it legally. Let's wait just a bit.

Engineering related question: thus far you've made parts for existing firearms patterns like the AR-15... however, wouldn't it make sense to build a firearm which can make the most of the strengths of a 3D printed material? Designed in such a way to reduce stresses and improve longevity and durability?

I believe that as long as you are going to try to replicate existing firearms which rely on other materials, you won't be tapping the potential of building one from the ground up to be 3D printed.

For example: a 3D printed handgun that can use existing barrels (like a Glock barrel), and action, and 3D printed magazines.

Yes, the project is actually all about a printable gun- not replicating existing platforms. But while we waited for our license to come through, we wanted to make important demonstrations during the gun control debate.

I understand your point, but you kind of seem like a douche. What, exactly, are you trying to prove? How does going public with all this shit under your real name and getting a federal firearms permit jibe with your "crypto-anarchy"?

Being uncompromising and douchy is, to be honest, a decision I made early about the personality I thought this project should have. Unapologetic, open to discourse sure, but contemptuous of politicians in the extreme.

I sort of admire that in a way, and you're obviously very bright. But you've already proven your original point. Why not move on to something more productive? I say this as one asshole to another. Game recognize game.

Hahaha much appreciated. There is the matter of actually printing an entire gun to attend to, then I'll be open to other things.

Besides donations, what can I do as an individual to help further the cause?

Print the files at defcad.org. Upload pics and reviews.

What do you think is the best consumer printer out there for someone that wants to print lower receivers and magazines?

We're using used dimensions with some success. $6-8k But those are commercial.

I'm still not comfortable making a retail/consumer recommendation.

Why do you think more guns in the world would make things better?

That's not the calculus. The goal is to get you to ask why you think using state power to restrict access to property is worthwhile.

I'm actually writing a research paper over this topic for my college composition class. So, my question to you is this: How do you think 3D printed weapons will affect American gun laws? Do you think there will be massive uproars against these weapons due to the Sandy Hook and Newtown shootings? Thank you so very much for this AMA!

Massive uproar if there can be a successful media event surrounding use of a printed gun- definitely enough to pass a regulation or law.

But the Undetectable Firearms Act likely governs printed guns already. I wonder what will happen. I think macroeconomic trends are pointing toward real problems for enforcing even the current gun laws.

I've seen the plans for them online, but would you ever start printing drop in auto sears?

Well the rules are tough there. I may not do this yet.

I just saw the vice documentary on your project, it looks super cool and an awesome idea that can have implications all over the world. My question is:

How much harassment do you face, if any, from people who are pro-gun control? In the vice video one guy helping out didn't want his name known, was that to stave off harassment?

Not very much harassment, to be honest. I think pro-gun control advocates, or at least the professional ones, aren't prepared to talk about software. It's like they were ambushed.

I guess there's far more important questions I'd like to ask, but for now when are you guys shipping the AR mags you guys have put up for sale?

Ordered one a couple weeks ago when the store was first started.

They're out for shipment now! And thank you.

Where do you see yourself and DEFCAD in 10 years?

Man, too big a question. I don't want DEFCAD to be something safe. But I'm not sure physibles are in demand like music was.

It seems that for the time being, the "assault weapon" ban has been halted, at least on a federal level.

What do you think the next big anti-gun push will look like?

I think the Senate is about to sell you out on "comprehensive background checks." Just another expansion of the panopticon. Your documentary individuation continues as slowly everything interesting you own and do is written down somewhere.

I'm a college student in the Bay Area, what can I do to help you? I don't own a printer so I have to use the ones at various hackerspaces. I do, however, help run an alternative advertising agency (thats a fancy way of saying illegal graffiti advertising, I guess) and we try to promote shit we think will change the world in a good way.

Whether or not I can help you out, I think what you're doing is incredible. Have you heard of CamOver, and do you have an opinion on it?

Sharing. Seeding the torrent files. What is CamOver?

Do you ever see a future in which printed weapons will help an occupied people fight back against an oppressor? (thinking something along the lines of the FP-45 Liberator or Deer Gun)

I actually see this project as FP-45 2.0.

Any chance we'll see a 22lr derringer?

So it turns out that 22 has a pretty high chamber pressure. It's a rifle round. But a .380 derringer????

New Defcad megapack coming out today! :D Come visit the defcad community on freenode #defcad.

Wicked.

Can I 3D print a grenade? Where do you think the line should be drawn?

Yes. The plans are at defcad.org.

Your printed lower can't be made on a low cost extrusion based printer like a makerbot. I've been toying with the idea of using my printer to to print a mold, and casting a lower out of a plastic resin. Do you think this is feasible?

No, the lower can be made on a makerbot. I've seen pictures from other printers of the v5 being made.

Is it cost effective to 3d print a lower or magazine? What kind of msrp would be seen and if it were to be sold through other retailers what online prices would we see (about 5% markup would be right)?

Sure, FDM printers can make cheap magazines for the AR, for example. Our AR mag at defcad.org can be made for $15-20. Disposable mag?

Would you rather fight one horse sized duck or one hundred duck sized horses? You can have a 3D printer to prepare.

The one duck. Those hundred would fuck me up.

can I have one, please?

Only selling mags at the moment. shop.defdist.org

Have you thought about how this could affect other countries? The United Kingdom, for example, where we don't share the 2nd amendment right with you guys across the pond.

How would you feel if this work fuelled every guy capable of pressing "print" to wield an AR-15 and spark an influx in nationwide gun crimes in nations who have minimal to no gun-related crimes?

I just don't find this to be a realistic outcome. I really don't.

Would you rather print 100 duck size AR-15s, or one AR-15 sized duck?

Printing the duck for sure.

Just watched your vice piece. I hope the unstoppable availability of firearms drives gun control reform. What vision do you have for "best case scenario" weapons printing legislation?

That there is no legislation. That they have nothing to say and we aren't interested anyway.

Do you see a 3D printed ak47 lower being made anytime soon? Also how is the work on the barrels going? Your still alive so I assume not that many have blown up on you.

I don't, actually. Not in polymer anyway. AK receivers aren't comparable to AR's. Now in metal or ceramic, why not?

Barrel work is going very well. Actually we've exploded and broken a few! But I'm a survivor.

Do you believe that 3d printing of guns, will become a household thing? If so, do you feel this will affect gun control laws?

Not yet. But maybe that's just because we feel quite alone doing this.

Cody, could you speak to the quality of materials used, esp. for your AR lowers? I worry about the strength and construction of them. What would happen in a pop/dud misfire?? ie. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=481_1181023978

Duds/misfires happen all the time with the AR. These lowers handle problems just fine. Haven't had a hangfire yet, but the lower is built well and I would not hesitate to try one yourself.

I work at a company that does 3D printing (FDM and SLA) and recently I was asked to quote on extended magazines for a customer, I declined for a few reasons; one, I didn't want additive manufacturing like FDM or SLA to be tarnished on the news and have a negative view brought upon it, and two, I would be devastated to know something I grew turned out to be used to hurt others. What are your thoughts on this?

Well, heavy assumptions involved there. "Tarnish" is not the word I would use, but I don't share a sense ownership or responsibility in the industry like you must. But it seems you may also be motivated by social/industry expectations.

We print magazines on SLA machines all the time for people. It's legal in Texas. It's your right.

Why would you mount a sight at a 45 degree angle?

Good question. Tacticool.