The repository hosted files for the "lower receivers" of AR-15s and the frames of Glock pistols. Under U.S. federal law, the lower receiver or frame is technically the "firearm" that carries the serial number and requires a background check to purchase. By downloading a CAD file and printing a Glock frame or AR receiver, users could legally (at the federal level) manufacture an unserialized firearm, completing the build with unregulated, commercially available upper parts kits. The Technical Evolution of 2021 Digital Gunsmithing
You're looking for information on the DefCAD files repository from 2021. defcad files repository 2021
Defcad was originally launched by Cody Wilson, the founder of Defense Distributed, following the release of the "Liberator"—the world’s first fully 3D-printed single-shot pistol. When the U.S. State Department forced the removal of the files under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) in 2013, the files scattered across the internet, but the core repository went into a prolonged legal limbo. The repository hosted files for the "lower receivers"
The files hosted on DEFCAD in 2021 contributed to a surge in , which combine a 3D-printed receiver with commercially available metal parts (like AR-15 lower parts kits or Glock locking blocks). By downloading a CAD file and printing a
Some of the most prominent files circulating and archived on the platform during this period included:
From the government's perspective, the victory was more complicated. While the State Department had technically won its legal argument about agency authority, it immediately tried to argue that the Ninth Circuit's mandate wasn't yet in effect, meaning the files were still under ITAR control. The State Department then directly demanded that Defense Distributed stop publishing the files. In response, Wilson’s legal team filed a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the State Department, arguing that the publication was protected First Amendment speech.