# Downloads for 3D-printed Liberator gun reach 100,000



## LibraryLady (May 14, 2013)

Found this via my professional sources, cuz librarians are interested in guns... 

LL

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22464360

*9 May 2013* Last updated at 07:05 ET​*Downloads for 3D-printed Liberator gun reach 100,000*
​_




_​_Groups looking to tighten US gun laws have expressed concern_​​*The blueprint used to produce a 3D-printed plastic gun has been downloaded about 100,000 times since going online earlier this week, according to Forbes.*
Defense Distributed told the news site it was surprised by the amount of interest its Liberator gun had generated.​Earlier in the week, the company demonstrated the firearm being fired​But even before any more guns come off the DIY printing presses, there are moves afoot to ban it.​*Metal detectors*​Californian senator Leland Yee said he wanted a law passed to stop the manufacture of 3D-printed guns.​"I plan to introduce legislation that will ensure public safety and stop the manufacturing of guns that are invisible to metal detectors and that can be easily made without a background check," he said in a statement.​According to Defense Distributed, most of the 100,000 downloads have been in the US, followed by Spain, Brazil, Germany and the UK.​The blueprint has also been uploaded to file-sharing site the Pirate Bay, where it has become the most popular file in the site's 3D-printing category.​*Firing pin*​It took Defense Distributed eight months to produce the firearm, which was assembled from separate components produced on an $8,000 (£5,000) 3D printer bought from auction site eBay.​While downloading the blueprints may not be illegal, any UK citizen who made and owned such a handgun could face arrest, according to the UK's Metropolitan Police.​"To actually manufacture any type of firearm in the UK, you have to be a registered firearms dealer (RFD)," it said in a statement.​"Therefore, unless you are an RFD, it would most definitely be an offence to make a gun using the blueprints. It may be legal for an RFD to manufacture a gun this way, as long as they had the necessary authorities."​One of the biggest headaches for law enforcers is the fact the gun is made from plastic - with only the firing pin made from metal.​New York congressmen Steve Israel and Chuck Schumer have sponsored legislation aimed at adding a 3D-printing provision to the US Undetectable Firearms Act, which requires all guns to be detectable.​​*Related Stories*

*World's first 3D-printer gun fired*
*Pirate Bay for 3D printing launched*
*Firm pulls 3D gun-parts print plans*


----------

