The debate over guns and their usage in the United States took a distinctly modern turn with the recent widespread — attempted — introduction of 3D printed guns to the national scene. Now, a federal judge has again blocked plans for those guns from being released to the public.
Seattle’s U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik ruled that Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson’s supposed First Amendment rights to publish the plans “are dwarfed by the irreparable harms the States are likely to suffer if the existing restrictions are withdrawn and… overall, the public interest strongly supports maintaining the status quo.”
Lasnik had previously barred Defense Distributed from sharing their 3D printed gun plans on the web in late July, right before they were set to go live on August 1.
In the time since, the company’s Cody Wilson has chosen to press on with his campaign to get his creation to the public, arguing:
‘I literally believe in the Second Amendment to the point of that it’s alright and it should be expected there will be social costs for protecting a right like this.’
In other words, he couldn’t care less about the dangerous potential repercussions of allowing plans for guns to be accessed by anyone, anywhere, who has an internet connection. It’s convenient for him to be blunt, so that he can be that much more easily countered. On the one side, there are individuals like Wilson and his allies, and on the other, there are those concerned with the over 9,500 Americans who have lost their lives to gun violence so far this year.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
