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FedEx Won't Ship DIY Gunsmithing Machine

Posted by Soulskill on from the it-can't-get-there-from-here dept.

An anonymous reader writes Last fall, Defense Distributed — the company created by Cody Wilson of 3D-printed gun fame — announced a DIY gunsmithing machine called the Ghost Gunner. Now, FedEx is refusing to ship the device, saying there are laws or regulations that would prohibit them from shipment. A FedEx spokesperson said, "This device is capable of manufacturing firearms, and potentially by private individuals. We are uncertain at this time whether this device is a regulated commodity by local, state or federal governments. As such, to ensure we comply with the applicable law and regulations, FedEx declined to ship this device until we know more about how it will be regulated." Wilson argues, "They’re acting like this is legal when in fact it’s the expression of a political preference. The artifact that they’re shipping is a CNC mill. There’s nothing about it that is specifically related to firearms except the hocus pocus of the marketing."

6 of 320 comments (clear)

  1. Oh bullshit! by rfengr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There are no regulations covering firearms manufacturing equipment; at least not YET. They are just covering their asses.

    1. Re:Oh bullshit! by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Insightful

      UPS recently paid $40 million dollars because they shipped fake drugs.

      They didn't ship fake drugs. They shipped real drugs: prescription drugs from Canada.

      Like they were supposed to open all the packages and verify the contents?

      They didn't need to open the packages. They already knew what was in them.

      If the government did not stop this activity, our health would have been at risk of deteriorating to Canadian levels.

    2. Re:Oh bullshit! by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 5, Insightful

      UPS recently paid $40 million dollars because they shipped fake drugs.

      They didn't ship fake drugs. They shipped real drugs: prescription drugs from Canada.

      Like they were supposed to open all the packages and verify the contents?

      They didn't need to open the packages. They already knew what was in them.

      If the government did not stop this activity, our health would have been at risk of deteriorating to Canadian levels.

      No, our health costs were at risk of deteriorating to Canadian levels.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  2. political preference? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have worked for fedex for 15 years. I assure you this is not a hippie liberal company.

    Corporations are naturally risk adverse. And it doesn't matter if it's a marketed mill... we can't ship a ball bearing certain places if you tell us it can be used on a tank. Regulations are what they are.

  3. Irony by tverbeek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So here's a guy who calls himself a "libertarian", declaring that it's not legal for a private entity to refuse to do business with him based on their political views.

    --
    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  4. Re: expression of a political preference by zieroh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's almost like he was more interested in publicity than in actually shipping a product.

    --
    People who say "sheeple" have about as much sophistication as an AOL user, and in fact are probably actually AOL users.