Wiki Weapon Project Temporarily Gunned Down

In the wake of one of our previous tickets (Patriotics Develop Free Gun to be 3D-Printed), Defense Distributed’s Wiki Weapon project was temporarily gunned down after the 3D printer that had been leased to them by Stratasys got called back following concerns over the alleged objective of the group. Defense Distributed had first started with an open-source 3D printer but had subsequently stated that it wished to procure a Stratasys 3D printer for its endeavor to materialize.

Given the nature of the Wiki Weapon project, the company did not want to be involved in such ethical debate and terminated the lease. Not only did it pull the plug on the lease but Stratasys even sent a team to retrieve the 3D printer. It is to be noted that the ultimate goal of Defense Distributed’s Wiki Weapon Project before it was temporarily gunned down was to provide every citizen with the opportunity to 3D-print a pistol that would fire a single shot.

Director of Defense Distributed Cody Wilson was quite surprised to receive an email from Stratasys requesting that the printer be returned. As the company had learned about the Wiki Weapon project, it no longer wished to be a part of it (directly or indirectly). Funny enough that had the group been more quiet about it, chances are that it would not have been picked up by the 3D printing company’s radar. Unfortunately, while Wilson and his team are looking for further legal advice to counter this attack, it might be a heck of a trick for Defense Distributed to get its hands on a leased 3D printer now that its intentions through the Wiki Weapon project have been unveiled.

This just goes to show that sometimes it’s better to keep a low profile when you want to get there and avoid all the fireworks. Not to mention that the hefty price involved in purchasing a 3D printer might end up being yet another obstacle for Wilson and his group to overcome.

Source: Wired