Opening Arguments OA197: Undetectable, Untraceable, 3-D Printed Guns
Aug 3, 2018
01:12:38
Today's Rapid Response Friday breaks down all of the legal wrangling regarding the Trump Administration's secret settlement with a self-described "crypto-anarchist" who uploaded material that allows anyone with access to a 3-D printer to make their own plastic, undetectable, untraceable firearm. We begin, however, with a listener who's considering coming over to the "dark side" and wants an honest answer about getting electoral help from overseas. What if the Irish want to help elect Liz Warren in 2020? Listen and find out! The main segment breaks down the "Defense Distributed" settlement and subsequent litigation -- and along the way you'll learn about Cold War arms sales, the Export Control Act, F-15s, Richard Nixon, and... well, let's just say there's a lot on the table! Finally, we end with an all new Thomas Takes The Bar Exam #87 regarding a state supreme court ruling over whether witnesses must face their accusers. If you'd like to play along, just retweet our episode on Twitter or share it on Facebook along with your guess and the #TTTBE hashtag. We'll release the answer on next Tuesday's episode along with our favorite entry! Recent Appearances None! If you'd like to have either of us as a guest on your show, drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com. Show Notes & Links
- We most recently discussed election law and the relevant statute, 52 U.S.C. § 30121, back in Episode 116 with Beth Kingsley.
- The seminal Foreign Affairs (1982) article referenced by Andrew is here; and you can also verify the current arms sales numbers from this report in Newsweek.
- This is the confidential Trump administration's settlement with Defense Distributed; here is the Complaint filed by 8 states, along with the opposition brief filed by Wilson as well as the one filed by the Government. Ultimately, the Court granted the TRO.
- You can read the Arms Export Control Act, 22 U.S.C. § 2751 et seq., and the implementing regulations at 22 C.F.R. § 125.4(b).
- The Pentagon Papers case is more formally known as New York Times Co. v. U.S., 403 U.S. 713 (1971).
- Here's a Harvard Law Review article summarizing Wilson's loss at the 5th Circuit.
- Finally, check out the author note for (but please do not buy!) the Anarchist Cookbook, for sale on Amazon.