As Social Networks Crack Down, 3D-Printed Gun Community Moves to New Platforms

arlier this month, Reddit became the latest social media platform to aggressively enforce its ban on sharing plans for 3D-printed guns, shuttering a popular channel dedicated to the cause that had over 4,000 users. 

“Filling me with spite only makes me work harder,” wrote a user known as IvanTheTroll, in a discussion thread about the shutdown posted elsewhere on Reddit. IvanTheTroll leads Deterrence Dispensed, an informal group of online activists who make and distribute files to print 3D-printed guns. The group had been active on both Twitter and YouTube before the platforms closed its accounts in late May following The Trace’s reporting. Now Reddit, once celebrated for its lack of content moderation, had done the same. 

“Soooo……. rally point?” a user replied to IvanTheTroll’s message. “Keybase,” he replied. 

IvanTheTroll was referring to a chat app launched by the founders of the dating site OkCupid. Keybase allows users to verify their identities by linking the app to social media accounts, and provides end-to-end encryption, with the option to set an expiration date for messages after they’re sent. In the two weeks since Reddit handed down its ban, Deterrence Dispensed’s Keybase team has become the sixth most popular on the platform, with more than 500 members.

IvanTheTroll declined to comment for this story. But Incarbonite, who runs another Keybase team dedicated to producing and distributing 3D-printed gun tech, said efforts to shut down the community were in vain. “People trying to stop the distribution of 3D printable gun files are on the losing end of history,” he said.