Can guns really be 3D-printed? The answer to that question is a simple yes. If you don't believe it, just watch Cody Wilson, the man behind the world's first 3D-printed gun, firing the weapon on video.

Following a test firing, documented by Forbes, in which a string was used to pull the trigger, Wilson now took the gun into his hands and successfully fired it. Neither him or the weapon suffered any visible damage (sans a cracked pin that used to hold the gun's barrel in place) on that occasion, but the gun did misfire and explode in one of the test firings.

The weapon, called "the Liberator" — a homage to cheap pistols distributed by the Allies in France during World War II — is printed on a Stratasys Dimension SST 3D printer. It consists of 16 parts, 15 of which are 3D-printed. The last part — the firing pin — is a simple nail, found in any hardware store.

Wilson is the founder of the company behind the project, Defense Distributed. He claims the project is not about violence, but about freedom. “This is about enabling individuals to create their own sovereign space," he told Forbes.

“I recognize that this tool might be used to harm people. That’s what it is — it’s a gun. But I don’t think that’s a reason to not put it out there. I think that liberty in the end is a better interest,” he said.

How do you feel about the 3D-printing of guns? Should such a practice be outlawed, as recently suggested by New York Senator Charles Schumer? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image courtesy of YouTube, Defense Distributed