(CNN) – It will soon be legal to post plans for a 3D-printable gun online, after gun control groups lost an emergency bid Friday to block such an action.
The federal government has reached an agreement with a gun rights activist that will allow the plans to be posted as of Aug. 1.
Back in 2013, a man named Cody Wilson posted plans for a 3D-printable gun. The government ordered him to remove the plans, arguing that they could violate International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
Wilson complied, but sued the federal government in 2015.
Now, Wilson will be able to re-post schematics for what he calls "The Liberator" – a gun made almost entirely out of ABS plastic, the same material used to make Lego bricks.
The gun does contain metal parts, including a firing pin.
The settlement exempts Wilson and his organization from export restrictions and pays a portion of his legal fees.
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