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Goodbye Gun Control: The $1,200 Machine For 3D-Printing Guns Has Sold Out In 36 Hours
Submitted by Mike Krieger via Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,
Last May, I covered the work of Defense Distributed with regard to its building of tools for individuals to 3D-print their own firearms in the post. Meet “The Liberator”: The World’s First Fully 3D-Printed Firearm, In it, I noted:
3D-printing, like decentralized crypto currencies, have the potential to change the world in which we live in extraordinary ways. Ways that are almost inconceivable at this point given we are so early in the game. More than anything else, these technologies can empower the individual like never before, and I think that is generally a very good thing.
While all sixteen pieces of the Liberator were printed in ABS plastic, the $1,200 computer-controlled (CNC) milling machine called the “Ghost Gunner,” is capable of automatically carving polymer, wood, and metal in three dimensions. More from Wired:
Americans want guns without serial numbers. And apparently, they want to make them at home.
On Wednesday, Cody Wilson’s libertarian non-profit Defense Distributed revealed the Ghost Gunner, a $1,200 computer-controlled (CNC) milling machine designed to let anyone make the aluminum body of an AR-15 rifle at home, with no expertise, no regulation, and no serial numbers. Since then, he’s sold more than 200 of the foot-cubed CNC mills—175 in the first 24 hours. That’s well beyond his expectations; Wilson had planned to sell only 110 of the machines total before cutting off orders.
While the Ghost Gunner is a general-purpose CNC mill, capable of automatically carving polymer, wood, and metal in three dimensions, Defense Distributed has marketed its machine specifically as a tool for milling the so-called lower receiver of an AR-15, which is the regulated body of that semi-automatic rifle. The gun community has already made that task far easier by selling so-called “80-percent lowers,” blocks of aluminum that need only a few holes and cavities milled out to become working lower receivers. Wilson says he’s now in talks with San Diego-based Ares Armor, one of the top sellers of those 80-percent lowers, to enter into some sort of sales partnership.
The sales numbers for the Ghost Gunner may be far smaller. But at $1,200, every sale helps fund the activities of Defense Distributed. “I’ve never felt more optimistic about the ability of Defense Distributed to become an installed part of the future, and to help create an expansion of the second amendment,” he says. “There’s hope that Defense Distributed can become a significant civil liberties organization…That’s the ambition, the wildest dream of this entity, to have a marked material effect like that.”
Now here’s the Ghost Gunner in all its YouTube video glory:
Long-time readers of Liberty Blitzkrieg will know that I am a huge supporter of gun rights. While I am personally not a gun enthusiast in my own life, I recognize the right of my fellow citizens to be armed. While many people like to blindly push for gun control, it would be mush wiser for Americans to focus on “war control.” That is, stopping our own government from consistently, aggressively and unconstitutionally unleashing violence on populations all over the world, particularly the Middle East.
I find it the height of hypocrisy when politicians constantly using our nation’s blood and treasure to bomb and murder civilians all over the world, get up on podiums to stress the importance of disarming peaceful civilians due to a few random school shootings (as tragic as they are). When the U.S. government becomes Switzerland, then we can talk gun control. The biggest criminals, murders and war-profiteers around are at the top of the U.S. government and the military-industrial complex, and they’re doing it with our tax dollars. So if you want a more peaceful world, let’s start there.
For more of my thoughts on gun control read: How to Spot a Hypocrite in the Gun Debate and Other Reflections on Newtown
If 3D-printing of firearms isn’t your thing, check out: 3D Printing Entire Homes and Neighborhoods May be Just Around the Corner
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I'm interested in the Kel Tek Sub 2000, M1A Scout, and the SRM 216 + any Glock.
My girls want to learn how to shoot. My oldest also wants a tazer or pepper spray first.
"if the pepper don't phase it's time to taze."
I own a Springfield Armory M1A Scout Squad. Awesome gun. One inch groups at 200 yds without trying. Decent ammo helps. My choice Federal Gold Medal Match 168 grn
Fuck the world's governments raw.
While many people like to blindly push for gun control, it would be much wiser for Americans to focus on “war control.”—Mike Krieger
War control begins at home. And the US, looking in the mirror, can see that its wars in Middle Eastern countries are wars fought on behalf of Israel. It is no secret that Israel controls US foreign policy and that the U.S. Congress is a complicit partner in this mass slaughter.
And while the Jewish financiers provide Fed money to wage the wars, Americans are being treated to the most egregious lies perhaps in history concerning America’s foreign policy. With this tyranny, America now has achieved almost complete absence of a free press. The Israeli propaganda line runs through every network, every major newspaper, every Hollywood production, and every government news release.
This line, the Pravda, is the greatest war-making machine ever devised, because it has for its weapon the world’s largest superpower.
When innocent villagers see the firebombing jet airplanes of America and her allies coming over the horizon they see America in all her ugly reality while the American people see the lie, i.e., the "news."
What happened recently in Gaza? Here’s the “news”…
Who Was Responsible for The 2014 Destruction of Gaza?
By Karin Brothers
Global Research, October 06, 2014
After 50 days of Israeli attacks on a basically defenseless civilian population in Israeli-occupied Gaza, the media is claiming that Hamas was responsible for Gaza’s utter devastation. According to such media accounts, Hamas was not only responsible for the kidnapping and murder of the three settler students on June 12th – they also initiated the attacks on Israel, forcing Israel to “defend itself” by obliterating Gaza’s infrastructure and devastating their population. Hamas, according to such accounts, refused legitimate ceasefire deals by insisting that the 8-year siege be lifted, broke the temporary ceasefires, and refused to disarm, thus bringing the disaster on themselves. Israel’s supporters now run ads that compare the democratically-elected resistance government to ISIS. What are the facts behind those accusations against Gaza’s government? Why was Gaza attacked?
Excerpt:
“Israel had motives for these attacks. Netanyahu used the kidnappings to wreck havoc on Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank – and claim over a thousand more acres of land near Bethlehem…. Mideast experts such as Noam Chomsky, Henry Siegman and Michel Chossudovsky have noted other motives: an Israeli annexation of Gaza and Israel’s ultimate control of Gaza’s offshore gas (which Israel is meanwhile benefiting from). Norman Finkelstein noted that Israel’s demand that Gaza be disarmed is tantamount to demanding that Gaza agree to Israeli annexation. Israel is not legally permitted to annex Gaza and the demand denies the Palestinian right to self-determination and an ending of the occupation.”
http://www.globalresearch.ca/who-was-responsible-for-the-2014-destruction-of-gaza/5406593
Lest we forget from Washington’s Blog the 2200 murdered; the 11,000 injured (see picture of young amputees above); the targeted and destroyed civilian infrastructure such as UN facilities, schools, hospitals, clinics, ambulances and medics, virtually every mosque, and the only power plant which provided potable water; the more than 400,000 left homeless; and entire families wiped out as entire neighborhoods in Gaza were razed to the ground, here isa reminder of the “reality”:
Gaza Apartment Block Destroyed By ‘Silent’ Israeli Missile: Video Captures Entire Bombing Sequence
http://themillenniumreport.com/2014/08/gaza-apartment-block-destroyed-by-silent-israeli-missile-video-captures-entire-bombing-sequence/
Thanks, Mike, for this article; to stop the wars it will be necessary to regain control of the government (the Cody Wilson answer).
The kidnapping and "murders" of the students were shown to be a hoax. The joke is on us people, don't you see? All theater, nothing more.
@ P00kle: are you aware of the definition of 'firearm' as used in the regulations you cite? [explosive propelled projectile weapon with no rifling in the barrel] NIBIN/ISIS now registers the rifling pattern of every new pistol (I don't think long guns are rifling profiled into the data base, yet) by test firing a round and scanning the rifling pattern into their data base. Then if the gun is registered, they can work back from the bullet to the owner.
Obviously if you don't submit a bullet to have the rifling pattern scanned into their database, then the weapon (not a firearm) is not traceable to the owner. So the registration of the weapon's owner is immaterial if the rifling pattern is not recorded by .gov.
Fishhawk
FH,
Looks like one needs a Type 7 FFL.
https://www.atf.gov/content/may-ffl-or-individual-legally-possess-parts-...
Or Type 1?
May a person engage in gunsmithing under a dealer’s license (type 01), or do gunsmiths need to be licensed as "manufacturers" of firearms?
https://www.atf.gov/content/may-person-engage-gunsmithing-under-dealer%E...
Terrorists will love them. Murderers will love them. One of these ain't going to stop you getting your arse kicked by a SWAT team. Just guarantee your death.
Homemade C4 is still a more beautiful thing. Landmines.
Going to be a lot of people burned on this deal. I ran CNC machines for 20 years and when I checked out their website there were no specs on the machine. things you need to know: Materials it will cut, depth of cut, horsepower. All that was listed was working envelope. A real CNC machine will cost upwards of $20,000 that is capable of milling aluminum and rigid enough to hold any kind of tolerances and repeatability. The video didn't show the machine actually cutting. It is hitting hard on the gun nuts that think they will actually be able to make a gun receiver that works.
There never was any gun control. Here are plans for a submachine gun:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Plans+Luty+sub+machine+gun
or a direct link:: http://thehomegunsmith.com/
Here's a video of someone making one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHAO8oxwioU
And here is a video of someone firing one. In Australia. Where they are banned:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv33pCUkLRM
All under control. All the parts can be found in any DIY store. Better make DIY stores illegal.
Make luv, not war.
Wake me when they make a 3D printer capable of producing lifelike clones of Brooklyn Decker, Sofia Vergara, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence and especially that really dirty girl, Kristin STewart.
I really don't see the point. Why make a gun at home? If you want a gun, declare yourself a moderate muslim and wait. It won't be long before the US is offering you rifles, carbines, MANPADs and all sorts of other tax payer funded weapons.
That is a whole lot easier then milling a lower. </SARC> (for those of you who have limited wit)
Yawn, even with the sarc. Brown people bad, brown people bad....talk about limited wit.
I'm yeah, seems like they are most bad.
This thing is really only designed to mill 80% lowers. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool thing! However, an 80% lower can be milled with a hand drill and some jigs, or a drill-press.
A full auto sub-gun was designed in the 70s to be built with nothing but supplies from the plumbing aisle at the HW store.
The Defense Distributed machine is more of an action to piss in the government's eyes than anything else. Good for them though! It's a demonstration that the gubmint has completely lost control, and they're never going to get it back.
To all those that are concerned with drones:
Drones are like using air-power to win a fight. You can do a lot of damage with them, but nobody is going to win a fight with only drones or air-power. To win, you need light infantry. Light infantry is based on people and small arms.
Too many people focus on the small arms part. They're just tools. The expertise and training are far more important than the tool.
Incorrect.
Dropping nerve gas from drones wins it all.
Not if the drone operators are killed in their homes, or on their way to work. Or their familes kidnapped, etc. Look what the Irish did to the Cairo Gang in the 20's. British intel initially had the upper hand, until the Irish learned to play the game. It'll be the same if it ever goes down here with a tyrannical government.
Irrelevant - drones can operate autonomously. They don't need an operator. They can already steer themselves "home" without control. It's little difficulty to put a target waypoint in there instead of "home" and a deployment command. Fully autonoumous.
It won't stop stop the targeting and killing of pro-tyranny troops and supporters. Drones simply can't be everywhere.
Drones aren't a magic talisman. If anything they are very fragile. They require an enormous supply chain, (tail to tooth), in which any individual could cause the aerial platform to not work. Again, drones are not that worrisome. Understand the social and societal terrain. Most of the people that would fuel, repair, or arm said drones don't support that hypothetical mission.
It's a non-starter. Once the parts dry up, fuel get's filled with sugar, or whatever shenanigans that will occur, the warfighting capability will be severely attenuated.
This is why people need training and experience. If you're not training and getting your rifle covered in dirt, you're not really training. Find someone near you that has experience and have them teach you.
"Amateurs worry about tactics, professionals worry about logistics."
IR camera + drone + VX nerve gas = you are all wiped out in minutes.
You'll run out of warm bodies & bullets before you can shut down the drone supply chain.
Is there claymore printer in the pipeline?
Just looked in the safe. Not a single AR type firearm to be had. Huh.
Semi-auto and automatic rifles win firefights. Shots from bolt-action rifles win insurgencies. Do you really want to be in a firefight?
I still say there are enough bolt-action rifles alone in circulation to win an insurgency in America one shot at a time.
In other news: Another reason to hate Mikey Bloomberg:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11143702/Mich...
Once all you Yanks kill yourselves off, 'cause, well, you know, your CONstitution says its ok to do that stuff, so you gotta do it, or you ain't gwine up to heabin <plagiarised from Frank Zappa...kinda>, can the rest of us have your stuff?
Word
Just remember when you need a Revolution..
to Toss Water Bottles...
fuck you talking about?
When I read comments like yours I realise - sadly - just how little some people know or understand about the American Constitutional right to bear arms. It was never intended for "all you Yanks [to] kill yourselves off" as you think. It was designed as a protection and precaution against "government" going out of control and needing to be brought to heal and taught who the ultimate authority is.
When you see what has happened over the past few decades - and gathered momentum over recent years - the founding fathers obviously had huge foresight into the problem of "government". No sooner was it created and the corruption and criminality begin. The rest is history.
The day of reckoning is coming. People can only be impoverished and treated like serfs and criminals in their own country by criminal "government" for so long.
Not to mention that this society that has somewhat experienced the American dream and had it taken away from them are really pissed. Quitely, they are preparing.
The Second Amendment was put there so that We the People would have a means to dispose of tyranny, whether foreign or domestic. This right cannot be infringed upon, though tyrannical governments will try. You see, the founders wanted the people of the United States to decide how they wanted to live. Jefferson warned that it would be a difficult path to follow, and that we'd have to jealously guard our hard fought freedoms. Generations of Americans have squandered these liberties and freedoms for the sake of "fairness", comfort (to assuage that guilt), or simply out of fear and apathy. Communists have long known how to subvert our system, and have done so---to the point where our traditional values and culture are marginalized. The concept of "the governement" taking care of you, or providing for you, would have been an anethema to the average American 100 years ago. It should be still. However, the media and the governement work hand in hand to slowly stupify and and placate the masses. Think of it as the reservation system 2.0.
Australia, unfortunately is further along than the US is.
u get nuthin. we stole it all fair and sqaure.
Soph I would like to point out why the USA has this amendment, but most ''educated'' non-Americans have a huge attitude and logical issue when this topic is discussed.
There is too much to cover, but I will try:
1) Americans will never have what you refer to as ''common values of civilised nations" because Americans left your country to move someplace better. By nature, Americans think that Mexico, Honduras, England, Germany - were not all that great a place to live, and moved to someplace where they could do better. Thus Americans will not think as you want them to, for they rejected your nation and values.
2) The US Constitution merely points out what Rights people have, and pointed them out to The King of England. This point is impossible for most people to grasp - you live in a nation where you have privileges that can change as the codex of law changes. If a majority vote to strip a minority of their Right, in your society it is ok. In the US this is not. Whether the Constitution changes or not, all people - everywhere - have these Rights. You simply choose. CHOOSE. to live in a nation where you surrender them as a privilige to The State. So you could say that this law could be changed and in your view and society this eliminates this Right. It would not. The Right supercedes all acts of men, and it is there to prevent reasonable people such as you from depriving others of their Rights.
3) The 2nd Amendment was there because The King attempted to seize powder, guns, and men, and the only thing that stopped him was having arms on the other side. Today it is to prevent tyrranny of government, which is why Obama's gun control 2 years ago failed. You may not like it, and Obama may not like it, but Americans do and they won't part with their guns no matter what any says or does. Even by law. Even by force.
4) Police are armed to protect and react to crime, which is why people should have the same arms. It takes 3 minutes for the police to arrive to a crime scene, and by then your daughter is raped, you are dead, and your wife is hostage at another location.
5) This was written so that the average citizen, not only militia it's intent was to arm all above age 14 in or out of ''a militia'', had what your standard infantry currently has as a fiream. Firearm. Firearm. Look that up if you need explanation. So that means no tanks, no bazookas, no RPG's, no APC's, no nuclear weapons. It means fully automatic AK-47 or AR-15 just like a foot soldier would have in 2014. It means semi automatic service pistols as well, and perhaps an ankle holsterd 38 just as the police wear.
Yay, prices for automatic weapons coming down...lmao, watch all those gun owners start crying as the value of their arms collection plummets...gonna love the tears
These aren't automatic you dork. They're just like a standard varmint rifle, but usually black in color and "evil looking" to the uninitiated.
It's already Illegal to Rob or Kill somebody...
extra laws, won't make any difference.
Unless you're pResident!
I see tremendous opportunities to provide subprime loans so people can buy these machines! I mean, trailer trash and gang bangers also have a right to make guns without serial numbers.
Low lifers and criminals can always acquire guns.
You know, a Bazooka is just a glorified metal tube with propellant. . .
A rocket is pretty much the same also.
You can't control the world.
and if you try . . .
The world usually ends up biting you in the ass.
You can't let the fear of a vocal minority trump the bravery of a quiet majority.... guns are good, they are here to stay and will become progressively cheaper to produce until you can buy one at your local 99 cents store , its just a fact.
Trying to fight it will get you no where. . .
Think about it, if someone in the 1800s, with a work bench and a few crude tools could make the colt revolver and other repeating rifles, what do you think people can do today with what essentially amounts to "free" 3dCad Software and a 1200$ CNC milling machine that can pump out parts out of chunks of 20$ steel stock . . . ?
If I wanted to . . . I could setup shop and punch out atleast 10 ~ 20 revolvers a week . . . its not hard, they might as well make it legal so people can setup shop and invent new safer , more effective guns without fear of some government harassing them for what essentially amounts to "drawing and designing" 0o . . .
Its already gotten to the point where you can just download the cad file and g-code for a cnc machine to mill out any replacement gun part you need . . .
In any case, the govt has no right to speak about "gun control" when our own government is actively DUMPING TONS AND TONS of weapons into the hands of our supposed enemies abroad . . . it snot OK for YOU to have a gun, but its somehow OK for your government to arm people who want to kill you "Obama logic".
Not enough liberty? We can print moar!
... oh wait... actually we can. How about that.
fun part the printing process been designed only to be sold to make money....
not to bypass gun vendors...
usa is astonishingly doing exact opposit of what it is supposed to do, how the fuck you want others countries to like you ! ffs react !
Only little hippie retards like Obama want Euros to like them.
As far as real Americans are concerned, you can screw off and die, for all we care. Your fear does not trump our basic human right to self-defense.
Much easier to just file off the serial numbers if that's what fires your rocket.
having a 50 cal machine gone would be cool.
So long as you have a lotto-sized bank account to keep it fed....
Where there's a will................... there's a relative!
Not all states allow an individual to build their own guns. Keep in mind, also that if you are free to make one yourself, you are the only one who can own it. You can't sell it to anyone unless you get an FFL manufactureres license - then you're required to serialize it and report it to the BATFE. So like 3D printed items, there's no real economical advantage here nor any legal one.
One could see this as more of a novelty, a COULD do but why WOULD you do it sort of thing.
Unless, you really see what Cody is doing here. The name he chose for the printed hand gun... the Liberator... look into gun history and see what message Cody is sending. Same goes for these ghost guns.
"...nor any legal one."
True.
Meh. It's a process. It's not like the existing system is going to last forever.
That said, I'd rather pony up for a drill press and jigs to do this. After all, a drill press has far more uses that a semi-specialized 2L. I've always been more comfortable with late 19th century firearms technology anyway.
"So like 3D printed items, there's no real economical advantage here nor any legal one."
I don't get what you are saying here. There is certainly some economic advantages to 3D printing and rapid prototyping.
I interpret economic advantage as a means to compete against other arms manufacturers or to make something for yourself cheaper than a manufacturer can. In this case, the manufacturers using time honored traditions and provent materials and methods have an enormous advantage over the home builder. This is a CNC (computerized numeric control) mill. Nothing more and one that can only work with mild materials. it would not be suited for more than short run production, prototyping, etc. The cost per gun would be too great to have any econcomic advantage against full production machinery.
The use of rapid prototyping (everyone calls it 3D printing now days) for anything other than prototyping, proof of concept, etc. is still somewhat of a novelty - bleeding edge experimentation.
So, using RP (3D printing) for what it is intended certainly can give a manufacturer an advantage to get products to market faster and with fewer errors, etc. - that sure is an advantage.
Can it mill forged steel?
No. This one is inexpensive because it only does CAD work on aluminum.
How to make your own gun:
http://aresarmor.com/store/Category/hmg
How to build AR-15
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=11004/learn/
How to assemble an AR-15:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30i_6awxEG4&feature=player_embedded
Jeez Such a lack of faith in big controlling government. They always know best! You might hurt yourself or others while tring to defend yourself from being mugged. It is much better to dial 911 and hope they arrive before your corpse is to cold.
No doubt, the government will attempt tracking every 3D printing or CNC milling enthusiast, but how will they do it if the machines themselves can be bought as kits or as separate parts, to be assembled on site?
Well, there are few common components that most enthusiast-grade machines share. They're microcontrollers, but those are common in non CNC applications. Stepper motor controllers are more uniqe as identifiers, however there are too many varieties of controller boards. Steppers can be driven with NPN transistors, or raw in-line microchips, so keeping track of every controller device is next to impossible.
Stepper motors themselves? That is something I would track (if I were the government). The stepper of choice among hobbyists is "NEMA-17". It is the motor most commonly used in 3D printers, CNC cutters and pick-n-place tables. Industrial machines use stronger engines. In general robotics NEMA-16's and smaller sub-classes are popular.
Anyone who orders 4x NEMA-17's is likely building a 3D printer or a CNC cutter and will soon be a prime candidate for a no-fly list.
You can order a machine and make your own gun, but you had better understand all the regulations that go along with it.
YAY!
The 2nd Amendment Gurantees us the Right to Self Defence and a Right to gun ownership.
Its a civil right and cannot be taken away or regulated by this government.
Without the 2nd all other rights will fall.
Your balls are shrinking. The fact your AR-15 has replica printed on the side of it and the fact mine has desert eagle .50 printed on the side of it should be ....
Anyone know the music in that video?
Surprisingly good article. Thanks!
Only a moron would buy one of these to make lowers. WTF is wrong with you people? ohh..the "STATE" is watching me! oh for fucks sake...if the state wants to come after you, having a 'ghost' AR vs a fed registered AR ain't making a difference.
This technology is for the technical ubergeek who has nothing else better to do. Real men just get on Gunbroker and buy their shit.
am surprised how many amateurs read your lines.
every tech. student of mech engineering knows, what is Al and what is steel.
for those, who voted down ICR: take a piece of chocolate and try to weld it. then take a steel and try to weld it. you will see then a diference between Al and steel.
and now take 5.56 and shoot a burst a second burst a third one. and report the results.
then drop the piece from one meter, snd then from 2 meters. is it still in a reliabale condition?
"The biggest criminals, murders and war-profiteers around are at the top of the U.S. government and the military-industrial complex, and they’re doing it with our tax dollars. So if you want a more peaceful world, let’s start there."
There is no doubt those are the facts, however, "a more peaceful world" presents an increasingly difficult problem of how to operate human murder systems after the development of weapons of mass destruction. In my view, we are light years away from having anything remotely close to better death controls, since the basic concepts regarding evolutionary ecologies might as well be hiding on the dark side of the moon, as far as the chances of those being better understood by enough people goes ...
Yay! Freedom.
Ah, Zerohedge, you are so predictable.
Step 1: Tyler posts a story about somebody striking a technological blow for liberty, giving us some degree of hope for the future.
Step 2: The Luddites come out and say it doesn't matter and that some people in the 1800s could have done the same thing with stone knives and bearskins.
Step 3: The uber-paranoid come out and say IT IS TEH TRAP AND THEY JUST WANT US TO FALL FOR IT OMG!
Step 4: Chaos ensues.
Just like Bitcoin. I could invent some fucking thing that would roll up 90% of the federal government tomorrow, and I'd somehow get labeled a scammer and a fraud and a shill for the state who didn't really accomplish anything.
Don't ever change, right wing populists!
As opposed to Left Wing Fascists?
The bad guys are gonna lose.
tick tock motherfucker