Blueprints that allow 3-D printers to create guns are now legally allowed to be posted online.
In 2013, Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson posted 3D gun blueprints on his website and they were downloaded more than 100,000 times.
The files were forced to be taken down by the U.S. Department of State, stating that it violated traffic in arms regulations, which controls the export of military technology.
Wilson sued the U.S. Department of State, arguing that this violated free speech and the Second Amendment.
And after a three-year battle, he won.
The files "are approved for public release (I.e., unlimited distribution) in any form and are exempt from the export licensing requirements of the ITAR..." according to the settlement.
The government also agreed to pay a portion of his legal fees.
The 3D printed guns had sparked concerns and backlash because since the 3D guns are made of plastic, it would not be detected by metal detectors.
Wilson is relaunching his site and plans to post his blueprint files on August 1.
While it is legal for anyone to "access, discuss, use, reproduce, or otherwise benefit from the technical data," the settlement does not mention whether it's legal to manufacture and own these unregistered 3D printed guns.
However, under the Undetectable Firearms Act, it is illegal to manufacture any firearm that can't be detected by a metal detector.
