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Inventor of 3D-printed gun appears in court on child sexual assault charge

<p>Cody Wilson, the founder of Defense Distributed, says he's begun selling designs for 3D-printed guns. That's after a judge <a href="https://www.newsy.com/stories/judge-extends-order-to-ban-3d-printed-gun-designs-online/" target="_blank">extended an order to ban</a> downloadable blueprints for the items. </p><p>Wilson says that means he can’t supply the blueprints online for free, but he can sell them. </p><p><a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4784902/3D-Guns-Seattle-20180827.pdf" target="_blank">According to the court order</a>, “Files cannot be uploaded to the internet, but they can be emailed, mailed, securely transmitted, or otherwise published within the United States.”</p><p>Wilson is asking people to name their price, then emailing or shipping them the designs. He says blocking their distribution is a violation of free speech. </p><p>He told the press Tuesday, "Anyone who wants these files is going to get them. I'm gonna sell it to them, I'm gonna ship them."</p><p>Additional reporting by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/" target="_blank">Newsy affiliate CNN</a>. </p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/canada-re-enters-nafta-talks/">Canada Re-enters NAFTA Negotiations</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/mattis-us-has-no-plans-to-end-military-drills-with-s-korea/">Mattis: US Has No Plans To Cancel Military Drills With South Korea</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/puerto-rico-raises-official-maria-death-toll-to-2-975/">Puerto Rico Raises Official Hurricane Maria Death Toll By Nearly 3,000</a></li></ul>
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Cody Wilson, the creator of the world's first fully printed 3D gun, appeared in a Texas court overnight to face a charge of child sexual assault.

Wilson, who was in Taiwan last week, was transferred to Houston by US marshals on a warrant over the sex assault of a minor. According to jail records, Wilson's bond was set at $150,000.

In court, Wilson said he plans to hire an attorney.

A warrant for Wilson's arrest was issued last week after allegations that Wilson, 30, had sex with a 16-year-old girl he met on an adult dating site, police said.

Wilson allegedly met the girl at a coffee shop on August 15, brought her to a hotel and paid her $500 for sex, Austin police Cmdr. Troy Officer said

The age of consent in Texas is 17. If convicted, Wilson could be sentenced to two to 20 years in prison and possibly a fine of up to $10,000, Officer said.

Wilson is the founder of Defense Distributed, a company that created blueprints for a 3D-printed handgun made of plastic. The company is embroiled in a legal dispute over the distribution of the blueprints.

Shortly after Wilson posted the blueprints online in 2013, the Obama administration ordered him to take them down. Wilson responded with a lawsuit in 2015, claiming First Amendment rights.

The Trump administration settled the case in June, and the 3D weapon blueprints were scheduled to be posted online August 1. However, Washington state and other states successfully sued to block the release of the blueprints that day.

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