Back in 2013, Cody Wilson, a 30-year-old gun-rights activist, uploaded 3D printable CAD files that could be used to create a functional plastic firearm known as the “Liberator” to the internet. Shortly after uploading the files, however, the Obama-era United States (US)Department of State contacted him and ordered him to pull down the files on the grounds that he was supposedly “violating an export rule on distributing secret military hardware.”
Concerned by their demand, Wilson promptly removed the files, which had already been downloaded more than 10,00 times, from the internet. After doing so, however, he then reached out to a couple of lawyers and filed a lawsuit against the State Department for violating both the First Amendment, which is a constitutional amendment protecting speech, and the Second Amendment, which is a constitutional amendment protecting the rights of gun owners.
Incredibly, after reviewing this little-known case that the administration of former President Barack Obama was using to stop both the First and Second Amendments, the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which is now under the leadership of President Donald Trump, ended up siding with Wilson. As a result, the Trump DOJ has since decided to end their persecution case against the gun-rights activist. On top of that, they also agreed to change their current export rules on military firearms to allow for the “unfettered publication” of 3D gun files.
