Tuesday, December 29, 2015

3dprint.com take on EFF Support of Cody Wilson & Defense Distributed

Too bad the author did not take the time to read the Second Amendment Foundation's brief.  It is very similar to the Amicus brief filed by EFF.

Earlier this week I wrote about a group of 15 Republican congressmen co-signing an amicus brief in support of the creator of the 3D printed LIberator handgun, Cody Wilson, and his lawsuit against the State Department. After publishing the 3D printing files for his one-shot handgun online, Wilson was ordered to remove them by the State Department because according to them he was violating an act that regulated the distribution of weapons and information to international sources.

Because his case involves firearms, it’s only natural that a handful of conservative lawmakers, gun advocacy groups, and conservative think tanks would back Wilson. But perhaps the most important backer of his lawsuit is the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a relatively apolitical free speech advocacy group that focuses on digital rights and how they apply to civil liberties in the US.

Like the group of Congressmen, the EFF recently filed an amicus brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed. While many of Wilson’s advocates are focusing on what they believe to be a violation of his Second Amendment rights, an argument that I believe has little merit, the EFF is backing him based on the State Department violating his First Amendment rights–an argument that I believe has far more merit.

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