He couldn't help, he told me, but offered some folks who might. Seeking someone to hold my hand, I reached to a colleague that I knew was familiar with the intricacies of 3D printing. Given the buzz, the forward-thinking nature, and the anything-anytime spirit of Manhattan, I thought finding someone who could help me print the files would be a breeze. So I needed to find another proto-Kinkos of the 3D-printing age. Last year, the office supply company announced plans to introduce 3D printing service in its stores, but that's still a ways away. Late last week, the devices took a big leap forward in accessibility when Staples announced that it would carry them - for $1,300, which was not in the budget my editor gave me for this article. An image of a traditional handgun with Chinese-language labels.Instructions on printing and assembling the firearm in English.STL is an abbreviation for the stereolithography format, a type of computer-aided design (CAD) file To celebrate the occasion, it also released this video, which you've likely already seen and don't need to watch after the first ten seconds.

It's been about 24 hours since Defense Distributed's long-standing goal of offering a firearm design that anyone could 3D print became a reality when it posted plans for the Liberator on its website. With news that the plans for the weapon were downloaded 50,000 times yesterday, New York City police commissioner Ray Kelly indicated that it 'obviously is a concern.' So, as a resident of that city, it seemed like a natural experiment: How long would it take me from downloading a set of files to having a weapon in-hand? Chuck Schumer have called for restrictions on the ability to print 3D weapons. Defense Distributed is explicit about its political aims, which tech site The Verge described as 'crypto-anarchy.' Two members of Congress, Rep. The idea of download-and-print firearm plays an out-sized role in the current debate over guns - something to which I have contributed. I was unsuccessful, which is probably for the best.

Specifically, the 'Liberator,' the 3D-printable firearm offered by Defense Distributed. I spent the day yesterday desperately trying to get my hands on a gun. This article is from the archive of our partner.

3d printed liberator gun stl files