Having recently been approved for a Type 7 Federal Firearms Licence (FFL), Cody Wilson just can’t seem to stay out of the news these days (not that he has a problem with that). Currently Wilson is awaiting his early-April approval for his Class 2 Special Occupational Taxpayer (SOT) add-on which will allow him to manufacture and deal firearms under the National Firearms Act. To add fuel to the media fire, the popular counter-culture media hub VICE just released an honest and raw 25 minute documentary where perhaps for the first time, we get to see the real Cody Wilson and why he is so passionate about the 3D printing revolution.

Click. Print. Gun

While many may have mixed feelings on Cody Wilson and his 3D printed weapon movement, it’s difficult to turn away from the 25 year-old’s articulated approach towards liberating a unique aspect of 3D printing. The combination of his legal smarts (he is currently a law student at the University of Texas), relevant tech skills, and sheer desire to ‘do something radical’ have been the fuel for his Defense Distributed and DEFCAD.com projects that are at the center of controversy right now. Between gun laws, copyright restrictions, and the uncertainty of what the future of 3D printing holds for everybody, Wilson is—and will continue to be—one of the leaders of the 3D printing revolution:

“It’s impossible to know where that mission will end, but just as it’s clear that 3D printing is set to boom, it’s clear that Wilson and company have changed the boundaries of what that boom will bring.”
-Erin Lee Carr, VICE