Deterrence Dispensed (DetDisp) is a decentralized, online collective that promotes and distributes designs for open-source 3D-printed firearms, gun parts, and handloaded cartridges.[1] The group describes itself as aligned with the freedom of speech and anti-copyright movements.[2]

DetDisp is best known for developing and releasing the FGC-9, a semi-automatic 3D-printed carbine requiring no regulated gun parts.[3] The group has been linked to the publication of the 3D files for the gun that killed UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson.[4]

History

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In February 2019, a group of 3D gun designers chose the name "Deterrence Dispensed" as a reference to Defense Distributed, the first 3D firearms organization.[1] By 2020 the group claimed thousands of members, many of whom lived in jurisdictions where unlicensed firearm production was illegal.[3] Prominent among the group's pseudonymous members was the late German-Kurdish gun designer "JStark1809".[1][3]

Deterrence Dispensed has used multiple, alternative social networks and platforms due to suspensions from mainstream sites, including Tumblr and Keybase.[5][6] At one time, Deterrence Dispensed was the sixth most popular team on the Keybase platform, but by January 2021 they would be banned, a decision attributed to Keybase's acquisition by Zoom Video Communications.[5][7] The group has published files and blueprints on file-sharing websites built by LBRY, including the website Odysee, and has attempted to rebrand itself under the name "The Gatalog".[4][5]

In November 2024, the group's administrator Peter Celentano was arrested by the New York State Police and faces over 1,000 firearms-related charges.[4][8] In December of 2024, The Gatalog took credit for releasing the files for the printable frame and suppressor allegedly used by Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.[9][10]

Designs

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Deterrence Dispensed is best known for developing and releasing the FGC-9, a 3D-printed carbine requiring no regulated parts.[11] At the peak of its popularity, the group also distributed blueprints for AR-15s, an AKM receiver called the "Plastikov", handgun frames, and a magazine for Glock pistols named after New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, who once pushed for crackdowns on the online sharing of 3D-printable firearms designs.[5][11] In 2019 the group released a design called the "Yankee Boogle", which is an auto sear that converts a semi-automatic AR-15 into a fully automatic one.[12]

Another Deterrence Dispensed design is FMDA 19.2, a Glock-derived partial 3D-printed pistol blueprint, released in 2021. In 2024, an iteration of FMDA 19.2 may have been used in the killing of Brian Thompson.[4]

Criticism

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Since the death of JStark, former members of DetDisp have been criticized for founding organizations in opposition to the original open source and anti-copyright values of the organization.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Hanrahan, Jake (20 May 2019). "3D-printed guns are back, and this time they are unstoppable". Wired UK. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023.
  2. ^ "det_disp". Keybase. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Code is free speech. Copyright is theft.
  3. ^ a b c Simpson, John (November 23, 2020). "Militant network pushes homemade assault rifles". The Times. Archived from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)(
  4. ^ a b c d Greenberg, Andy. "The 'Ghost Gun' Linked to Luigi Mangione Shows Just How Far 3D-Printed Weapons Have Come". Wired. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Barton, Champe (July 25, 2019). "As Social Networks Crack Down, 3D-Printed Gun Community Moves to New Platforms". The Trace. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  6. ^ Barton, Champe (August 27, 2019). "3D-Printed Gun Group Moves to Tumblr". The Trace. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  7. ^ "Keybase, a Platform Owned by Zoom, Will Ban Groups Sharing Blueprints for 3D-Printed Guns". The Trace. 2 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Multi-agency arrest of Bergen man for over one-hundred 3D printed weapons". Troopers.ny.gov. November 27, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  9. ^ McWhirter, Cameron (December 10, 2024). "UnitedHealth Exec Shooting Heightens Debate Over Ghost Guns". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  10. ^ Gibbons-Neff, Thomas (December 12, 2024). "When a Glock Isn't a Glock: The History of the Pistol Found With Luigi Mangione". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Kelly, Kim (May 21, 2020). "The Rise of the 3D-Printed Gun". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  12. ^ Greenberg, Andy (November 4, 2020). "FBI Says 'Boogaloo Boys' Bought 3D-Printed Machine Gun Parts". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  13. ^ Wilson, Cody (May 31, 2024). Black Flag White Paper: A Primer on Copyright and 3D Guns. ISBN 9798988553816.
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