First 3-D Printed Gun Fired In Texas

A controversial new usage for 3-D printers has just been developed, and it has many people worried over the proliferation of handguns in the near future. A man in Texas has just  successfully fired a gun he designed and printed off of his 3-D printer.

The man's name is Cody Wilson, and he is a 25-year-old self-described "free market anarchist" who has little regard for the current economic structure. He hopes that one day 3-D printing will be able to put the common man on equal footing with corporate giants.

3-D printing is still quite expensive (a machine will cost you at least $8000-$10,000), but it is becoming more popular and in time could see widespread use. 

The machines work by producing layer after layer of a substance (usually plastic) into a certain formation based on a blueprint the printer is given.  The objects produced can be any number of possible dimensions and new uses are being discovered daily.

There is only one part of Wilson's gun that is not plastic, and that is the metal firing pin. Everything else is plastic and the finished product is capable of firing real bullets effectively.

The manufacture of the gun, called the "Liberator" has already received quite a bit of attention from Congress. Lawmakers are concerned that felons, the mentally ill, and others who are unfit to obtain weapons will now have access to an endless supply of handguns.

"Security checkpoints, background checks and gun regulations will do little good if criminals can print plastic firearms at home and bring those firearms through metal detectors with no one the wiser," said New York Rep. Steve Israel. "When I started talking about the issue of plastic firearms months ago, I was told the idea of a plastic gun is science-fiction. Now that this technology is proven, we need to act now."

Wilson eventually plans on distributing his design for others to download and make. It is also likely that soon there will be many other designs for various weapons that can be made at home without regulation.

So far there has not been much regulation of 3-D printers, though that appears to change in the near future. Wilson did have to apply for a gun manufacturer and distributor's license before he made and tested his weapon.