The American company Defcad has again put online plans to make weapons using a 3D printer, reports Slate who relays the Wall Street Journal . To download these files, just pay a fee of almost 46 euros.
Nearly 5,800 plans are directly accessible on the site, which the founder Cody Wilson calls "Netflix of 3D weapons". A majority of these plans make it possible to manufacture weapon parts.
First plans in 2013
This is not the first time that print plans have been made available online. As early as 2013, Defcad offered to download those from the "Liberator", a plastic weapon capable of firing a single shot. A major problem for the authorities: the absence of a serial number prevented it from being traced.
The company Defcad was ordered by the American government to stop its offer which contravenes the regulation on the international traffic in arms (ITAR). If an American can build his own pistol, no weapon can however be exported: downloading maps, possible from abroad, made the site illegal.
Sale of arms prohibited abroad
After a long legal battle won by Cody Wilson in 2018, the plans were again published online. But this time, the official took steps to comply with American law. Before registering on the "Netflix 3D Weapons", the user must prove that he is a US resident. Geolocation, proxy and VPN detection tools help ensure that this is the case, according to the founder of Defcad.
This kind of protective filter is however not satisfactory. Any user who has downloaded a plan is likely to then share it with anyone on the web. Trafficking in weapons plans already exists on the Internet, says Slate . Some circulate on torrents sites, social networks or forums.
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