‘Downloadable Gun’ Clears a Legal Obstacle

Ghost guns — untraceable firearms with no serial number — could become a more popular do-it-yourself item in the near future.

Texas pro gun-rights activist Cody Wilson has settled his 2015 lawsuit with the United States government, allowing him to distribute online instruction manuals for weapons of easy access to those with access to a 3-D printer.

Wilson had sued the government on the basis of a freedom of speech violation, arguing that he was simply distributing computer code and not actual weapons.

The case was finalized on June 29 of this year, allowing printing tutorials to be distributed for “public release in any form,” and also resulting in nearly $40,000 in legal compensation for Wilson–per the New York Times.

Wilson’s gun advocacy organization, “Defense Distributed” said on its website that starting in Aug. 1 it will repost the manuals previously pulled from the internet. These tutorials include AR-15-like weapons.

Read the full report by The New York Times.