wiki weapon

[wik-ee wep-uhn]

noun

1. a firearm created using a 3D printer, from a design downloaded from the internet.

   The technology behind the wiki weapon raises some important social, legal, and economic questions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wiki weapon¹

Coined in 2012 by Cody Wilson (born 1988), American gun rights activist

Example Sentences

Wilson proposed the Wiki Weapon Project, an effort to build the first 3D-printed gun, but a crowdsourcing website froze his account for violating its policy on raising money for weapons sales.

Read more on Washington Times

Wilson’s signature initiative, the Wiki Weapon project, provides online instructions for making handguns and rifles that anyone with the right equipment can manufacture at home.

Read more on Slate

Technically speaking, Wilson’s so-called “Wiki Weapon” pushes the boundaries of 3-D printing capabilities, especially those of lower-end systems not able to work with anything stronger or more durable than ABS plastic.

Read more on Scientific American

Metal barrels can withstand the pressure Wilson spent almost a year developing the "Liberator", a "wiki weapon" that can be put together from parts which can be printed in a commercial printer.

Read more on The Guardian

“What’s great about the wiki weapon is that it only needs to be lethal once,” he has said.

Read more on Slate