The Gun That Sparked the 3D-Printed Weapons Debate Has an Unexpected WWII History

With a temporary restraining order issued Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the online publication of blueprints for do-it-yourself 3D-printed guns that are untraceable and undetectable, citing the “possibility of irreparable harm.” The move comes a month after the company behind the plans, Austin’s Defense Distributed, had reached a settlement with the federal government to make the plans downloadable. 

Though the debate over 3D-printed guns has implications for any number of possible future firearms, one such weapon has found itself at the center of the debate: the plastic “Liberator” gun, the brainchild of Cody Wilson. 

Though an 3D-printed plastic “Liberator” may sound like something out of a futuristic story, its name has a long history. The original Liberator that inspired the 3D-printed version was a little-known, little-used World War II-era sheet-metal pistol, the FP-45 Liberator.