In May 2013, a young Texas law student named Cody Wilson held in his hand the first-ever gun created by a 3D printer, a burgeoning technology that makes it easy for anyone to manufacture almost anything they want in their own homes. The gun—which evades all licensing requirements and has no serial number to track—was a deadly threat that made headlines around the world for the danger it posed to gun control laws. Technology journalist Kyle Chayka draws on conversations over the past two years with Wilson to tell the full story of the 3D-printed Liberator gun. An introduction to 3D printing technology as well as a gripping, dramatic tale, “The Printed Gun” is required reading for life in our ever-changing technological landscape.

(Cover by Doug Chayka)