3D printing pioneer Jstark worked tirelessly towards two simple goals: freedom of expression, and an individual right to keep and bear arms. News broke recently revealing that, shortly after being raided by German police, he died of cardiac arrest.
The work of Jstark is very hard to completely comprehend unless you’re fairly integrated in the printable gun community. To those in the know, he was an anonymous European with a tough-to-crack accent who was very active and very vocal in the 3D printing community.
There’s no doubt he was a leader in the field. He managed internet chatrooms and groups about the development of printable arms, including ammunition, and he pushed heavily as one of the most instrumental people in the development of the FGC-9 – one of the first printable self-loading firearms which requires the purchase of no traditional “gun parts.” The idea behind the FGC-9 was a firearm that could feasibly be made anywhere in the world.
Jstark remained thoroughly anonymous and kept a fairly low profile until deciding to take part in an excellent documentary by Popular Front. This, it seems, lead to his undoing.
It appears the German federal police worked with eBay and Coinbase to track him down. I’m told that his identity was betrayed by the particular clothing he purchased to wear in the documentary, but this, of course, is hard to confirm.
The only major German news source we have so far is der Spiegel, which is one step from a tabloid-level publication. The article refers to Jstark having a “weak heart,” but those of us who were close to him are suspicious. By all accounts, he was a fairly healthy 28-year old. Dying suddenly of cardiac arrest mere days after being raided seems…odd.
His name was Jacob, he was of Kurdish descent and valued individual freedom above all else. He was also morally consistent, never tolerating hateful extremism anywhere he was in charge. His objectives were always clear, and simple: free expression and the right to bear arms for all people everywhere, period.
Jacob deserved to be celebrated for his work. He deserved to live a long and happy life. He deserved to sign his work with his own name. Yet, the reality of the twisted world in which we live resulted in his untimely death after working tirelessly toward his goals. He was a hero, and we owe it to him to never forget him.
PA, NY, NJ, and CT to share gun buyer records
Labeled as a “gun crime” prevention measure, the veneer here is pretty thin in practical effect. Pennsylvania has joined with New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, touting their partnership as “an effort to prevent gun violence and enhance public safety.”
That’s a lot of newspeak, but it’s a pretty transparent veil over a very problematic system. “The agreement is an effort to detect, deter and investigate gun crimes, as well as identify and apprehend straw purchasers, suspect dealers, firearms traffickers, and other criminals.”
To me, this spells a system that will work backwards to find gun crimes where they really don’t exist, to punish popular gun shops and make massive cases out of people who sell privately.
2020 A Record Year for Gun Importation
A report available on the Reload details this massive spike, and it’s very interesting to see what countries have been the top players.
Dick Heller is Suing DC Again – This Time Over Ghost Gun Ban
A new lawsuit filed in DC argues that the city’s law banning “ghost guns” is overly broad and outlaws all polymer-based guns, including prolific Glock handguns — which are issued to most DC police officers.
Egregious Felon Gun Rights Ban Evades Review…Again
The present permanent and irrecoverable federal ban on gun ownership for anyone convicted of a felony (which includes a whole host of very benign activity) has once again slipped past Court review, with the Supreme Court refusing to take Roundtree v. Wisconsin, a case where a man was prohibited from owning guns because he missed child support payments almost two decades ago.
Former Smith & Wesson CEO: I Have ‘No Regrets’ About Voluntary Self-Regulation
Back in the 1990s, Smith & Wesson saw an existential threat due to the then-new concept of gun maker products liability lawsuits. To dodge that threat, then-CEO Ed Shultz agreed to work with the Clinton administration to put in a host of voluntary gun control measures. In a recent interview, he expressed no regrets over the decision that saw him chased out of the job and almost killed the company.
