Minnesota 3-D printed gun owner believes access to weapon should be protected

(KMSP) - Andrew Henderson built a mostly plastic gun from a 3-D printer, which he reinforced with a block of steel.

The gun took him about seven hours to create on borrowed, high-tech equipment.

“This is a very primitive gun, single shot, spring pistol,” he said, showing the weapon to Fox 9. “That’s pretty much it. There’s nothing special about this firearm.”

Henderson figures that he will only be able to shoot the gun once. Now, it’s a showpiece he keeps locked away.

Henderson told Fox 9 that the blueprint for the gun came from Defense Distributed’s website about one year ago, before the current 3-D printed gun controversy exploded again in recent weeks.

“Anyone who wants these files is going to get them,” said Cody Wilson, the man who first put plans online for Defense Distributed.

Tuesday, a federal judge barred Cody Wilson and his Texas-based firm from posting those free blueprints on its website, including plans to help a user build a crude AR-15. The blueprints were first uploaded in 2013.

Instead, consumers will have to purchase the files and Wilson promised that he will continue despite a lawsuit filed by 19 states, including Minnesota.

Law enforcement officials across the country including Lori Swanson have worried about the dangers of the hard-to-trace guns getting into the hands of the wrong people and potentially penetrating current metal detector security systems.

Henderson believes access to the weapons should be protected.

“I believe every human being has the right to self-defense by any means they feel comfortable,” Henderson said. “If knife, AR-15 or a 3-D printed Liberator.”