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Yesterday, a Japanese man was sentenced to two years in prison for manufacturing 3D-printed guns. Yoshitomo Imura, a 28-year-old from Kawasaki, was arrested in May after posting a video of himself assembling his very illegal firearm to YouTube, which probably wasn’t the best idea on his part.
The right to bear DIY weaponry is still a contentious issue in most of the world. But if guns are illegal in your country—as they mostly are in Japan—then it makes sense that the law isn’t suddenly going to side with you when you decide to have a crack at making one in your garage. Imura appears to be the first person in the world to receive a prison sentence for making 3D-printed guns.
Cops all over the world have been on the lookout for such weapons. British police seized what they believed to be gun components last year before it was revealed that the items were actually probably just parts for the printer itself, leaving the internet to make plenty of jokes at the officers’ expense. Under UK law, buying, owning, or creating a 3D-printed gun could land you up to a decade behind bars, so it’s not a topic to be taken too lightly.
Here in the US, where the whole movement kicked off, it’s legal for individuals to manufacture firearms for personal use without a license (except for certain types of guns in certain jurisdictions). Certain restrictive measures have been put forward—such as a proposed renewal to the Undetectable Firearms Act that would criminalize production of firearm magazines and receivers that don’t include a certain amount of metal—but have been shunned as transparent attempts to stifle the use of 3D printers in home gunsmithing.
All that means that Defense Distributed, the Texan company that produced “the Liberator,” the first-ever 3D-printed gun, can go about their business. Motherboard made a documentary about Cody R. Wilson, director of Defense Distributed, last year, which you can watch above. The nonprofit organization says it operates “exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes.” I’m not certain how guns can be used for charitable, religious, or literary purposes, but if such purposes exist I'm sure they can be found only in America.
While the Liberator can only hold one bullet at a time, Imura’s model, christened “the Zigzag,” can load six. And although he’s going to spend the next 24 months in a cell, the blueprints for the weapon are public, meaning anyone can get them and start producing their own DIY firearms. I’ll let you decide whether that’s a libertarian dream or a nightmare.
The right to bear DIY weaponry is still a contentious issue in most of the world. But if guns are illegal in your country—as they mostly are in Japan—then it makes sense that the law isn’t suddenly going to side with you when you decide to have a crack at making one in your garage. Imura appears to be the first person in the world to receive a prison sentence for making 3D-printed guns.
Cops all over the world have been on the lookout for such weapons. British police seized what they believed to be gun components last year before it was revealed that the items were actually probably just parts for the printer itself, leaving the internet to make plenty of jokes at the officers’ expense. Under UK law, buying, owning, or creating a 3D-printed gun could land you up to a decade behind bars, so it’s not a topic to be taken too lightly.
Here in the US, where the whole movement kicked off, it’s legal for individuals to manufacture firearms for personal use without a license (except for certain types of guns in certain jurisdictions). Certain restrictive measures have been put forward—such as a proposed renewal to the Undetectable Firearms Act that would criminalize production of firearm magazines and receivers that don’t include a certain amount of metal—but have been shunned as transparent attempts to stifle the use of 3D printers in home gunsmithing.
All that means that Defense Distributed, the Texan company that produced “the Liberator,” the first-ever 3D-printed gun, can go about their business. Motherboard made a documentary about Cody R. Wilson, director of Defense Distributed, last year, which you can watch above. The nonprofit organization says it operates “exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes.” I’m not certain how guns can be used for charitable, religious, or literary purposes, but if such purposes exist I'm sure they can be found only in America.
While the Liberator can only hold one bullet at a time, Imura’s model, christened “the Zigzag,” can load six. And although he’s going to spend the next 24 months in a cell, the blueprints for the weapon are public, meaning anyone can get them and start producing their own DIY firearms. I’ll let you decide whether that’s a libertarian dream or a nightmare.
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3D-printed gun maker in Japan sentenced to two years in prison
A 28-year-old man who was arrested earlier this year gets the hammer
By Carl Franzen
on October 20, 2014 05:58 pm
A 28-year-old former university employee was sentenced today in Japan to two years in prison for manufacturing plastic 3D-printed firearms in violation of national weapons laws, according to The Japan News. Yoshitomo Imura is said to have created at least two plastic guns at his home in Kawaski, Japan, that were capable of firing bullets, according to the report. He appears to be the first person in world history to receive a jail sentence for making 3D-printed firearms.
Imura was previously an employee at the Shonan Institute of Technology, according to The Japan Times. He was arrested in May after posting videos and blueprints of his 3D-printed weapons online. Police reportedly seized five plastic weapons from his home. A video uploaded to file-sharing websites almost a year ago, allegedly created by Imura, shows the creation and firing of a 3D-printed "Zig Zag" revolver capable of firing six .38 caliber bullets, as Wired previously reported. While the prosecution in Imura's case called for a three-and-a-half year prison sentence, the judge certainly didn't go easy on Imura, saying he "flaunted his skills and knowledge and attempted to make gun controls toothless."
Japan has notoriously strict gun regulations, but Imura's case is not the first time in the world that authorities have tried to crack down on the burgeoning 3D-printed gun movement: police in the UK seized suspected 3D-printed gun components almost exactly a year ago, only to find out that they were likely just spare parts for the printer. The first 3D-printed firearm with firing capabilities (shown above) was unveiled and demonstrated in early 2013 by Defense Distributed, a cohort of anti-establishment gunmakers from Austin, Texas, who previously expressed support for Imura.
A 28-year-old man who was arrested earlier this year gets the hammer
By Carl Franzen
on October 20, 2014 05:58 pm
A 28-year-old former university employee was sentenced today in Japan to two years in prison for manufacturing plastic 3D-printed firearms in violation of national weapons laws, according to The Japan News. Yoshitomo Imura is said to have created at least two plastic guns at his home in Kawaski, Japan, that were capable of firing bullets, according to the report. He appears to be the first person in world history to receive a jail sentence for making 3D-printed firearms.
Imura was previously an employee at the Shonan Institute of Technology, according to The Japan Times. He was arrested in May after posting videos and blueprints of his 3D-printed weapons online. Police reportedly seized five plastic weapons from his home. A video uploaded to file-sharing websites almost a year ago, allegedly created by Imura, shows the creation and firing of a 3D-printed "Zig Zag" revolver capable of firing six .38 caliber bullets, as Wired previously reported. While the prosecution in Imura's case called for a three-and-a-half year prison sentence, the judge certainly didn't go easy on Imura, saying he "flaunted his skills and knowledge and attempted to make gun controls toothless."
Japan has notoriously strict gun regulations, but Imura's case is not the first time in the world that authorities have tried to crack down on the burgeoning 3D-printed gun movement: police in the UK seized suspected 3D-printed gun components almost exactly a year ago, only to find out that they were likely just spare parts for the printer. The first 3D-printed firearm with firing capabilities (shown above) was unveiled and demonstrated in early 2013 by Defense Distributed, a cohort of anti-establishment gunmakers from Austin, Texas, who previously expressed support for Imura.
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