The Liberator thumbnail 1
The Liberator thumbnail 2
Not on display

The Liberator

Handgun
August 2013 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Texan law student Cody Wilson founded Defense Distributed to ‘defend the civil liberty of popular access to arms as guaranteed by the United States Constitution’. He created designs for guns and gun components that can be downloaded by anyone anywhere in the world and printed out on a 3D printer.

Wilson fired the world’s first 3D-printed gun, The Liberator, on 6 May 2013. The invention of this so-called wiki weapon sparked intense debate. It transforms the way we think about new manufacturing technologies and the unregulated sharing of designs online.

Design drawings for the handgun were downloaded over 100,000 times after they were released online on the day of firing. The files were seized by the US government a few days later and Wilson was ordered to remove them from his website. Wilson says of his work that he ‘never thought of it in terms of design’. The design and distribution of The Liberator is for him a political act.

The Liberator gun parts in nylon and plaster were printed by Digits2Widgets in London in September 2013 from the STL (stereo lithography) files released by Wilson. The need to print in London came about because The Liberator weapon and parts acquired by the museum directly from Wilson are yet to arrive at the V&A due to multiple delays caused by obtaining relevant export licenses.

The Digits2Widgets gun parts are an important acquisition in their own right because they tell a story of the awkward, semi-regulated space in the law that the 3D-printed weapon represents. To ensure that Digits2Widgets were not manufacturing a workable handgun (the company do not have a licence to manufacture handguns) the frame, grip, barrel and hammer body were 3D printed in plaster. The springs, trigger spring, frame pins, trigger, hammer, hammer pin, grip pin and a washer are made from ABS plastic. Further to this, the dimensions of the Liberator gun parts made in plaster were also modified by a millimetre to ensure the pieces would not fit together.

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read At the press of a button: A V&A history of 3D printing 3D printing is an additive form of manufacturing, which involves heating (otherwise known as 'extruding') plastic, such as PLA (Polylactic acid), ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) or PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), or other types of material, such as sandstone, metal or resin, to con...

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 16 parts.
(Some alternative part names are also shown below)
  • Handguns
  • 3-D Printed Objects
  • Barrels
  • Grip Safeties
  • Hammers
  • Hammers
  • Springs
  • Springs
  • Springs
  • Triggers
  • Washers
  • Pin
  • Pin
  • Pins
  • Pins
  • Base
  • Cages
TitleThe Liberator (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
3D printed in plaster and plastic
Brief description
3D printed hand gun, in plaster and plastic, printed by Digits 2 Widgets, manufactured from the CAD designed by Defense Distributed, 2013.
Physical description
3D printed hand gun, frame, barrel, grip and hammer body in grey, springs, trigger, trigger springs, washer, frame pins, hammer pins, base section and cage section in white.
Dimensions
  • Height: 4cm (Note: Laid out as in first image)
  • Width: 27cm
  • Depth: 23cm
Gallery label
This object sits in the "Data and Communication" section of the Design 1900-Now gallery, opened June 2021

The dangers of distributed manufacturing
‘The Liberator’ was the first 3D-printed gun. In
2013 Cody Wilson, a staunch defender of the right
to bear firearms, released a digital file for the gun
that could be downloaded by anyone anywhere
in the world. The ability to print a gun at the press
of a button sparked intense debate about new
manufacturing technologies and the unregulated
sharing of designs online.

3D-printed gun
The Liberator, 2013

Designed by Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed
Printed by Digits2Widgets, UK
3D-printed ABS plastic and plaster
Purchased through the Design Fund
Museum no. CD.1:1 to 16-2013
Credit line
Purchased by the Design Fund
Summary
Texan law student Cody Wilson founded Defense Distributed to ‘defend the civil liberty of popular access to arms as guaranteed by the United States Constitution’. He created designs for guns and gun components that can be downloaded by anyone anywhere in the world and printed out on a 3D printer.

Wilson fired the world’s first 3D-printed gun, The Liberator, on 6 May 2013. The invention of this so-called wiki weapon sparked intense debate. It transforms the way we think about new manufacturing technologies and the unregulated sharing of designs online.

Design drawings for the handgun were downloaded over 100,000 times after they were released online on the day of firing. The files were seized by the US government a few days later and Wilson was ordered to remove them from his website. Wilson says of his work that he ‘never thought of it in terms of design’. The design and distribution of The Liberator is for him a political act.

The Liberator gun parts in nylon and plaster were printed by Digits2Widgets in London in September 2013 from the STL (stereo lithography) files released by Wilson. The need to print in London came about because The Liberator weapon and parts acquired by the museum directly from Wilson are yet to arrive at the V&A due to multiple delays caused by obtaining relevant export licenses.

The Digits2Widgets gun parts are an important acquisition in their own right because they tell a story of the awkward, semi-regulated space in the law that the 3D-printed weapon represents. To ensure that Digits2Widgets were not manufacturing a workable handgun (the company do not have a licence to manufacture handguns) the frame, grip, barrel and hammer body were 3D printed in plaster. The springs, trigger spring, frame pins, trigger, hammer, hammer pin, grip pin and a washer are made from ABS plastic. Further to this, the dimensions of the Liberator gun parts made in plaster were also modified by a millimetre to ensure the pieces would not fit together.
Collection
Accession number
CD.1:1 to 16-2013

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Record createdJanuary 17, 2014
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