The blueprints for a plastic gun that can be produced on a 3-D printer were downloaded 100,000 times in two days, with Spain leading the global rush to obtain the directions.
The directions have since been removed from the Internet at the demand of the U.S. State Department.
But not before 100,000 got them — and perhaps surprisingly, the most downloads hailed from Spain, The Daily Mail reported. Second in line to download directions for the plastic gun, the “Liberator,” came from the United States, followed by Brazil, Germany and the United Kingdom, said Haroon Khalid, a developer with Defense Distributed, cited in The Daily Mail.
The plastic pistol can be made for as little as $1,000. And at least one U.S. lawmaker has already jumped to ban the devices.
“We’re facing a situation where anyone, a felon, a terrorist, can open a gun factory in their garage, and the weapons they make will be undetectable [by metal detectors]. It’s stomach-churning,” said New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who said he’s bringing forth a bill to ban the weapons, The Daily Mail reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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