You’ll no doubt remember Cody Wilson as the “inventor” of the world’s first plastic 3D printed gun. To take his process to the next level, Cody’s company Defense Distributed pre-ordered an $8k carbon fiber 3D printer from MarkForged. wired.com reports that the Massachusetts manufacturer’s bailed on Defense Distributed’s order of their Mark One printer. “In a statement to WIRED, MarkForged cited terms of service that “limit experimentation with ordnance to the United States Government and its authorized contractors.” Yes, well, that wasn’t on their terms of service. Anyway, MarkForged also said . . .

“Our website automatically took Mr. Wilson’s pre-order, and we certainly regret that we did not catch this sooner,” MarkForged’s statement continues. “We are expediting his refund with interest.”

Those of us interested in Defense Distributed’s work are not surprised that its founder is undaunted. And how.

“Anyone who’s got access to one, any reseller, any individual or business or entity that can deliver it to me, I will give them fifteen grand,” says Wilson, who has also released a YouTube video advertising his offer [above]. “I’m going to get this printer. I’m going to make a gun with it. And I’m going to make sure everyone knows it was made with a MarkForged printer.”

Watch this space.

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56 COMMENTS

  1. Wish I had one…and who the h””l is MarkForged to refuse to sell to a legal enterprise?

    • They certainly have the right to refuse a sale to whomever they want. the reason is irrelevant.

        • Yes. They aren’t refusing him because of his race, not that it matters, since this printer looks more like hype than anything else.

      • While I agree businesses should have that legal right, the reality for the last 60-ish years is that businesses cannot choose who to do business with. See courts forcing businesses to server customers that are black, gay, muslim, etc. The only reason that they won’t be forced to sell to Cody is because (generally speaking) the courts view gun owners as “bad” and thus not deserving of the same level of treatment as blacks / muslims / gays.

        • It has nothing to do with “good” or “bad”, it has to do with whether the individual falls within a class of persons subject to “invidious discrimination” because of race, country of origin, religion, sex, and most recently, sexual orientation. Gun owners have not been recognized as such a class.

        • As I said, “good” versus “bad”. White, straight, (possibly Christian) male? Frak you, you don’t deserve rights. Anyone else? You’re one of the “chosen people” and get superior rights. If you like anything that the government disapproves of, you drop from being a second class citizen to being a third class citizen.

      • “They certainly have the right to refuse a sale to whomever they want. the reason is irrelevant.”

        Not so sure about that.

        They accepted his order, accepted his money.

        Smells like a binding contract to me (who is not a lawyer).

        • The argument he is a ‘private citizen’ is moot, Cody holds an FFL manufacturer license.

        • Their terms of service do state that they can cancel the order after it goes through on the website, and you do check a box that you’ve read them prior to completing the web order. Either way the developer version is under 9k to get so someone will sell Cody one for 15k. I’m sure there’s already 10+ orders with intent to sell to him.

        • If I had that much money right now I would do it, and once I had taken posession of it, I would call the company in question (I can’t be EXPLETIVE DELETED to scroll up and read their name again) and tell them what is going to become of he unit.

      • Seeing as there was a contract it would seem that they did have a right to do business with anyone they wish and they wished to do business with defense distributed. I like the $15k bounty as it becomes the damages asked for in the breach of contract lawsuit that is surely to follow

        • The terms of service that you agree to prior to ordering state they can cancel after the web order. There’s no lawsuit. Its also significantly cheaper than 15k to get one delivered to your house so someone will buy it for him and make a quick 6k.

      • He should just tell them it’s needed for his gay marriage DOJ would be busting down doors at whatever that company is named first thing in the morning….

      • I use to think that as well but look into the bakeries that have been sued and lost for not making wedding cakes for a Lesbian couple.

    • He can refund to sell to whoever he wants. It’s a free country, sorta… However, Cody will still end up with the printer.

      However, if Cody were gay, and they refused to sell him the printer, he’d probably have a court case.

      • ONLY if they refused to sell to him because he was gay. Which does not appear to be the case.

        • Well, not exactly. The bakers and florists who have been put out of business by the government did not refuse to serve a customer simply because he or she was homosexual–but because they did not want to be involved in a particular event based on their religious principles. One baker in particular recently went out of business after a long-time homosexual customer raised a fuss because the baker did not want to partake in his “wedding” by providing the cake.

        • All this while it is perfectly acceptable for a gay baker or florist to refuse to serve a traditional marriage.

  3. I’m really tempted to just buy one for him and pocket the difference. Refusing to sell a product to someone for BS reasons is just stupid. While they have the right to be stupid, it does not make them less so.

    • If I had that much cash on hand I’d do it – pretty good return on investment.

      Assuming nobody else snapped up the bounty in the 10-12 week wait time for your order to be fulfilled.

    • “I’m really tempted to just buy one for him and pocket the difference.”

      You or RF should do that.

      Cody will be happy to loudly praise the assistance of ‘The Truth About Guns’ in getting him that printer.

      They may refuse to honor the warranty, tho…

  4. Regardless, Cody will have a hell of a story now that people are all the more interested in not just the what? Also the how?

  5. “limit experimentation with ordnance to the United States Government and its authorized contractors”
    2 points:
    Doesn’t Defense Distributed have FFL as a Manufacturer of Firearms? So wouldn’t that by definition mean they’re authorized by the United States Government to experimentation with the manufacture of firearms?

    2nd. Ordnance? Doesn’t that pretty much mean “ARTILLERY”? not hand held weapon? What do they think he wants to make a Howitzer? hmmm 3d printed carbon fiber howitzer… I think I just peed a little with joy.

    Cody – You need to 3d print a Howitzer!

  6. He could always get the printer through a straw transaction in which he borrows it from such as his wife or relative.

  7. He isn’t a very good business man paying 15K$ for a 6K$ printer.

    How about if he just asks his cameraman to buy one?

    I assume the answer is publicity.

    • If the publicity works, then wouldn’t that make him a good businessman?

  8. Cody Wilson chronically reaffirms my opinion of him as a spoiled brat and attention whore.

    If a carbon fiber 3D printer (a laughable concept considering Toyota spent tens of millions to make a loom that only manufactured the Lexus LF-A A-pillars, unless you mean graphite, which is what the ill-fated Bushmaster Carbon-15 receivers are made of) is the magic evolution point of 3D printing that allows us to make safe, usable firearms at home, then I look forward to them becoming commonplace enough to be available to the average wage slave. I’m not holding my breath, but I do hope 3D printing continues to mature to a point that Americans become interested in domestic manufacturing again. We as a people could use a lot of improvement in the way of capability, self-sufficiency, and skill.

    • —Cody Wilson chronically reaffirms my opinion of him as a spoiled brat and attention whore—

      and the difference between that and a civil rights activist is what exactly?

      Yes, he’s an attention whore… Good – that’s what we need.

    • I saw these printers at the recent SolidWorks world expo, and they do in fact print layers of carbon fiber between layers of other materials, making a material of amazing lateral stiffness. Funny thing- I told them at the show that I wanted it for gunsmithing, and they didn’t bat an eye. Makes me wonder what they have against Cody…

      • Honestly, I feel at this point that someone is contacting everyone Cody does business with and telling them not to. My guess is someone in the ATF.

  9. Anyone else notice that the Markforged logo looks like a cheap ripoff of McMillan’s logo?

  10. Is it just me, or does Cody Wilson in the first video have a voice eerily similar to Brad Pitt?

  11. Robert, if Cody is serious about paying $15K for one of these printers, please forward him my email attached to this post. I’ll gladly order one of these and ship it to him.

    • I think he wants one now. He stated that he had to spend a year on a waiting list. So I am guessing he is wanting to find someone is willing to let one go right now. Otherwise he would just have an employee or family member order one. The $15000 will be for the first one who puts it in is hand

  12. I don’t fault the company too much. 3D printing is an exciting new field, guns or no. It’s new, has lots of potential and the last thing 3D printing innovators need is Washington regulators to start coming down hard on their companies because someone freaked them out about the potential for manufacturing firearms from their garage. Nor do they need the drive-by media creating a lot of bad press that could damage their fledgling companies.

    Besides, until 3D printing is developed more, its only going to create novelty firearms that are inferior to traditional manufacturing processes. I go to an engineering school, and several of the professors are eager to get their hands on 3D printers for research purposes, but are quick to tell us that the technology isn’t yet were it needs to be a viable manufacturing tool. One of my professors had to order and send back 5 separate 3D printers because of serious quality control issues from a reputable manufacturer.

    Wait until a firearm manufacturer comes up with their own 3D printer that’s more developed and specialized for the task. There’s no need to get huffy about a private company not wanting to associate their product with Defense Distributed’s mission statement, that’s their prerogative.

    • It’s been an “exciting new field” for more than 20yrs without all that much real progress. See also BS solar/photovoltaic and batteries for electric cars of the last 40yrs. Redmeat for BA libtards.

      When can “print” an injection mold, cavity and core, with acceptable finish you’ll have something.

  13. I wonder what Cody plans to do once he gets the 3D printer from a 3rd party, as the materials that it uses to print are all proprietary, and any alternatives that he might try to use would create items of unpredictable quality or damage the printer head. He could have a $15k printer and no materials with which to use it.

  16. It always amazes me how stupid businessmen can be. This company is trying to appease the current political establishment and the news media by not selling to this FFL. In a few years, Obama will be gone, and the news media will change to capture the audience they lost over the last 6 years. The point is this: This company is sacrificing long term almost guaranteed profits to get a few short term brownie points from people who will fall into the trash heap of history. A true businessman would look at this as an opportunity. He/she would market their product to FFLs all over America. They would get their foot in that door while it is open, and then solidify a permanent spot in that market.

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