Defense Distributed was never on the wrong side of the law with its 3D printed gun project. They were safe as long as they didn’t sell any of the parts. That being said, the team did want to become a licensed manufacturer and seller of 3D printed gun parts, and now they can.
Defense Distributed announced over the weekend that it now has a federal firearms license. Cody Wilson, founder of Defense Distributed, told Ars Technica that the license allows his team to “sell some of the pieces we’ve been making.” He says the license also lets them “do firearms transactions and transport.”
Wilson can’t do everything that he wants to do with this license though. For that, he’s going to need an additional Class 2 Special Occupational Taxpayer license. With it, Defense Distributed can sell fully-automatic rifles. Wilson has already applied for the SOT and should hear back on it soon.
Those wanting to buy parts from Defense Distributed will have to wait a little longer, however, as the team doesn’t intend to start selling parts until the SOT license comes in. It makes sense as most of the parts made by the team so far falls under the SOT, like its AR-15 lower.
So, what is Defense Distributed going to do with the money it makes from selling gun parts? Wilson says that his team will use it to fund more prototypes as it works towards making the first fully 3D printed firearm. The team is also getting into the commercial search business with Defcad – a depository of 3D printed items that nobody else would carry.