The Liberator is named after the World War 2 zip gun manufactured by a division of General Motors.

The FP-45 Liberator was a single-shot .45 pistol of dubious quality that was manufactured during World War II. They were dropped over areas that Germany occupied to aid the resistance… FP-45’s had tiny barrels and mechanisms simpler and more easily made than a Derringer. They had to be reloaded via the use of a wooden dowel, making them (at the height of their production) the only gun that could be manufactured faster than it could be reloaded. They were also fantastically loud because of their tiny barrels and complete lack of silencing equipment. Each pistol held six .45 ACP rounds inside its grip but not in any kind of magazine.

They go for thousands at auction.

 

But other than securing freedom from fascism, are the any negatives to a printed home-made gun?

Victoria Baines, from Europol’s cybercrime centre, said that at present criminals were more likely to pursue traditional routes to obtain firearms. She added, however: “But as time goes on and as this technology becomes more user friendly and more cost effective, it is possible that some of these risks will emerge.”

To win a war or fight the law with this new Liberator, resistance fighters and villains will need printers. How long before they become licensed?

Spotter: ExtremeTech and here.