FGC-9 | |
---|---|
Type | Semiautomatic carbine |
Place of origin | Germany |
Service history | |
Wars | Myanmar civil war (2021–present) |
Production history | |
Designer | Jacob Duygu (JStark1809) of Deterrence Dispensed [1] |
Designed | 2018–2020 |
Produced | 2019–present |
Variants | see variants |
Specifications | |
Mass | 2.1 kg (4 lb 10.1 oz) without magazine |
Length | 520 mm (20.5 in) |
Barrel length | 114 mm (4.5 in) |
Cartridge | 9×19mm |
Action | Closed bolt blowback action |
Feed system | Glock magazine, including custom extended variants |
Sights | Picatinny rail |
The FGC-9 is a 3D-printable, semi-automatic, pistol-caliber carbine. The firearm was first designed and manufactured between 2018 and 2020 by Jacob Duygu, a Kurdish German [1] [2] gun designer known by the pseudonym "JStark1809". [3] [4] In April 2021, a "MkII" revision was released. As of 2024, the FGC-9 is "by far" the world's most common 3-D printed gun, used by insurgents, militia members, terrorists, and drug traffickers in at least 15 countries. [5] The gun's most prominent promoter is "Ivan The Troll," a man identified as John Elik in legal documents. [6] [5]
The gun's name is an initialism for "Fuck Gun Control", where the "9" refers to its 9mm cartridge. [7] Released with accompanying documentation to aid its production and assembly, as well as the production of suitable ammunition, the FGC-9 is premised on the idea of undermining worldwide gun control. Though the majority of the firearm is 3D-printable, its pressure-bearing components are metal parts that may be purchased or homemade. The total cost of production, assuming the builder owns a 3D printer, is less than US$ 500. [8]
The FGC-9 was originally designed and manufactured between 2018 and 2020 by JStark1809, a pseudonymous German-Kurdish [2] gun designer, with contributions from the "guerrilla 3D-gun file development group" Deterrence Dispensed, and was released on March 27, 2020. The design is a remix of an earlier 3D printable firearm, the Shuty AP-9 pistol by Derwood. [9] Where the "Shuty" relied on several factory-made or machined gun parts (like the barrel) in order to be completed, the FGC-9 made ergonomic and mechanical changes to accommodate builders without access to commercial gun parts or machine shops. These changes and documentation honor the mutual influence of Defense Distributed's Liberator and Philip Luty's even earlier SMG designs. [10]
The FGC-9 is designed with Europeans in mind; fasteners and build materials use the metric standard and are available from hardware stores. The magazine can be 3D printed, and the entire design works without needing any regulated, commercial gun parts. The FGC-9's barrel can be completed in several ways, including the easily adopted method of electrochemical machining. [11] [12]
An updated design, the MkII, was first announced on October 23, 2020 by En Bloc Press. [10] It was released on April 16, 2021 on DEFCAD and Odysee by user "The Gatalog." [13] The updated weapon uses a H&K MP5 style charging handle, an improved electro-chemical machining process to make the barrel, and some ergonomic improvements as well. The release was the final package in a string of multiple smaller releases, which included the improved barrel ECMv2.0 process, and the Menendez Mag v2.0, and the Common Sense Fire Control Group AR-15 printable trigger, all created by Ivan The Troll in preparation for the FGC-9 MkII release. [14]
Due to the open-source nature of the FGC-9, there have been many packages released that alter the configuration, caliber, ergonomics, and other legally-restrictive qualities of the base-model firearm. These are all available through a wide variety of channels, all with different levels of testing, and allow the end user to customize their weapon as needed. One very common branch is replacing the buttstock with an ATF-approved pistol brace, in order for U.S. citizens to comply with NFA rifle and pistol requirements. Another common branch is replacing the barrel with a 16-inch (41 cm) barrel in order to comply with U.S. minimum barrel length requirements, in addition to adding an extended handguard to replace the default one. The firearms hobbyist and instructor QueerArmorer created a version of the top rail for use in Myanmar by rebels fighting with limited access to optics in the Myanmar civil war, however its use was limited as another team from Deterrence Dispensed developed printable iron sights that allowed for more flexibility. [15]
Name | Date made public | Designer |
---|---|---|
FGC-9 MkII [16] [13] [17] | April 16, 2021 | JStark1809(DetDisp), IvanTheTroll(DetDisp), 3socksandcrocs(DetDisp) |
| ||
FGC-9 MKII Stingray [18] [19] [20] | June 18, 2022 | hotsauce |
| ||
Partisan-9 [22] [23] [24] [25] | February 3, 2023 | ImmortalRevolt, Deterrents Dispensed / The Gatalog |
FGC-9 MKII Bufferless [26] [27] [28] | Bufferless version with the bolt placed mostly forward similar to Mussy's WTF-9 | |
FMGC-01 [29] [30] | Bufferless select fire variant that uses Sten magazines instead of Glock's | |
Nutty-9 [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] | July 15, 2024 | TooAceForThisShit, Joe.Dirt, Ruby Grace Builds, NotThatTimmyHicks, IamArizona, DetDisp, The Gatalog, Black Lotus Coalition |
| ||
The Urutau [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] | August 20, 2024 | Joseph The Parrot, A.K.A. Zé Carioca |
Bullpup variant which uses a telescoping bolt, a 3D printed fire control group/trigger designed from the ground up and CZ Scorpion magazines, notable for its quality documentation wriiten by RSmith28. While most of the underlying mechanics of The Urutau are comparable to the FGC-9, all parts were significantly redesigned. All parts are made from easily accessible, less-firearm-related components that improve supply chain resilience and enhance the builder's operational security when sourcing materials. The Urutau features a bolt designed to eliminate any welding requirements, eliminating the need for welding hardware and reducing the initial price by roughly $100, depending upon the builder's location. The estimated minimum cost to construct a Urutau stands at around $500 for the initial gun, including printer and hardware, and $200 for each subsequent gun. Aside from the ejection port, the entire gun is ambidextrous. The controls are all extremely basic so that non-English speakers with little firearm experience may intuitively understand how to use them. In addition to the manual safety mechanism, the Urutau incorporates safety features to manage the risk of an out-of-battery detonation. The hammer's geometry is designed to ensure that it cannot make contact with the firing pin unless the bolt is in battery. In the unlikely event of an out-of-battery detonation, a specially engineered channel redirects gasses upwards and away from the user, enhancing safety and minimizing the risk of injury. |
The upper and lower receivers of the FGC-9 are fully 3D-printed, as are its pistol grip and stock. Its magazine, based on the Glock magazine design, may also be printed. For the MkI, an AR-15 or modified airsoft trigger system is needed for the fire control. In the MkII release, the developers released a package to 3D-print the AR-15 trigger. The barrel can be rifled polygonally through electrochemical machining. Some designers have estimated the tooling to complete the FGC-9, including the price of the printer (~$200) and electrochemical machining equipment (~$100), at $500. [49] [ better source needed ] JStark1809 estimated the project to take 1.5 to 2 weeks to build. [50] : 12:34
The gun's 3D-printing files were released under an open-source license on DEFCAD by JStark1809, and then uploaded to various hosting platforms by Deterrence Dispensed such as Odysee, a free-speech blockchain based video, audio and file hosting site using the LBRY protocol.
According to Rajan Basra, a professor at International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, the FGC is particularly popular among far-right groups due to the sharing of its instructions in extremist internet forums. [51]
Ivan the Troll, the one of the head/admin of Deterrence Dispensed/Gatalog and FGC-9 co-designer, actively promotes the files for the gun online. [5] According to the Rajan Basra, a professor at International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, Nathan Mayer, a security researcher from the United States, and reporting from the New York Times , Ivan can be identified as John Elik, a 26-year-old licensed gunmaker in Illinois. [52]
Jake Hanrahan of Popular Front interviewed JStark1809 about the FGC-9 and 3D printed guns in November 2020. [50] JStark1809 stated that he had no background in engineering, taught himself CAD, and learned what he needed through widely-available resources on the internet. With his rudimentary operation, he showed how to manufacture an FGC-9 in two weeks or less. He shot the gun in a forest and demonstrated its reliability and rapid firing rate. JStark1809 described his absolutist belief in the right to keep and make arms, as well as his desire to make the weapons widely available in order to protect human rights. Hanrahan described him as "one of the most dangerous people" he had ever met and criticized authorities for underestimating the power of 3D-printed guns. [50]
Der Spiegel reported in October 2021 that British financial services had provided clues on the identity of JStark1809 to the Federal Criminal Police Office, and they identified a 28-year-old man in Völklingen who went by "Jacob D." Police had raided his home that June, though they found no weapons and did not take him into custody. Two days after the raid, he was found dead in his car in front of his parents' home in Hannover. Coroners determined the cause of death to be a heart attack and ruled out foul play. [3]
In October 2023, a report published by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence named JStark1809 as Jacob Duygu, a German national born to Kurdish parents who arrived as refugees from Southeast Turkey in the 1990s. The report claims he is the author of hundreds of anonymous internet posts, but does so using statistical inference from language patterns rather than direct evidence. [1] The recovered posts are xenophobic, racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic, and endorse anti-State violence. Direct evidence of Jacob's life as an incel, and his desire to travel to Southeast Asia and commit suicide, has been found in episode 5 of investigative journalist Naama Kates' podcast The Incel Project. [53] [54]
According to the New York Times, from 2021-2024, the FGC-9 has been used by or found in possession of "paramilitaries in Northern Ireland, rebels in Myanmar and neo-Nazis in Spain", and has become a "staple" weapon of "the world's far-right extremists". Improvised factories for making the gun have been found in Australia, France and Spain. As of September 2024, an FGC-9 has not been linked to a homicide by law enforcement agencies, but this may be "because traditional forensic techniques are not always reliable on homemade weapons". [5]
The STEN is a British submachine gun chambered in 9×19mm which was used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and during the Korean War. The Sten paired a simple design with a low production cost, facilitating mass production to meet the demand for submachine guns.
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The Sterling submachine gun is a British submachine gun (SMG). It was tested by the British Army in 1944–1945, but did not start to replace the Sten until 1953. A successful and reliable design, it remained standard issue in the British Army until 1994, when it began to be replaced by the L85A1, a bullpup assault rifle.
The Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR) is an American military selective fire battle rifle, and a designated marksman rifle chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. It is a variant of the M14 battle rifle and was originally built for use with units of United States Special Operations Command, such as the United States Navy SEALs, Delta Force, and task specific Green Berets ODA teams/units.
Improvised firearms are firearms manufactured by an entity other than a registered firearms manufacturer or a gunsmith. Improvised firearms are typically constructed by adapting existing materials to the purpose. They range in quality, from crude weapons that are as much a danger to the user as the target, to high-quality arms produced by cottage industries using salvaged and repurposed materials.
The KGP-9 is a Hungarian submachine gun used by Hungary's military forces and prison guards. Development started in 1986 when the head of the Hungarian Institute for Military Technology, János Egerszegi, drafted a proposal for a new sub-machine gun in 9mm Parabellum rather than 9x18 Makarov, the latter caliber being disliked by the counter-terrorist units of the Hungarian police. The most promising design was submitted by Fegyver- és Gépgyár and was developed by Zoltán Horváth. Weapon trials began in 1988 but the socioeconomic upheavals of 1989 caused the project to stall for a few years. Unlike the 1988 trials, field trials in 1993 resulted in several failure to feed malfunctions, which FÉG blamed on poor quality ammunition made by MFS. The officers participating in the trial disputed this, stating that the same ammunition feed reliably from UZI sub-machine guns and the IWI Jericho 941 pistol. Testers also disliked the folding stock and safety.
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Defense Distributed is an online, open-source hardware and software organization that develops digital schematics of firearms in CAD files, or "wiki weapons", that may be downloaded from the Internet and used in 3D printing or CNC milling applications. Among the organization's goals is to develop and freely publish firearms-related design schematics that can be downloaded and reproduced by anyone with a 3D printer or milling machine, facilitating the popular production of homemade firearms.
Cody Rutledge Wilson is an American gun rights activist and crypto-anarchist. He started Defense Distributed, a non-profit organization which develops and publishes open source gun designs, so-called "wiki weapons" created by 3D printing and digital manufacture. He is the director of Defense Distributed; it gained international notoriety in 2013 when it published plans online for the Liberator, the first widely available functioning 3D-printed pistol.
The Liberator is a 3D-printable single-shot handgun, the first such printable firearm design made widely available online. The open source firm Defense Distributed designed the gun and released the plans on the Internet on May 6, 2013. The plans were downloaded over 100,000 times in the two days before the United States Department of State demanded that Defense Distributed retract the plans.
A 3D-printed firearm is a firearm that is partially or primarily produced with a 3D printer. While plastic printed firearms are associated with improvised firearms, or the politics of gun control, digitally-produced metal firearms are more associated with commercial manufacturing or experiments in traditional firearms design.
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Philip Andrew Luty was an English activist opposing gun control, who was notable for the production of homemade firearms and manuals providing instruction at the same time. He was charged with illegal arms construction in the late 1990s and sentenced to four years in prison, with other investigations ongoing at the time of his death.
A homemade firearm, also called a ghost gun or privately made firearm, is a firearm made by a private individual, in contrast to one produced by a corporate or government entity. The term ghost gun is used mostly in the United States by gun control advocates, but it is being adopted by gun rights advocates and the firearm industry.
Deterrence Dispensed (DetDisp) is a decentralized, online collective that promotes and distributes designs for open-source 3D-printed firearms, gun parts, and handloaded cartridges. The group describes itself as aligned with the freedom of speech and anti-copyright movements.
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The Urutau is a physible, 3D-printable, semi-automatic, bullpup, pistol-caliber carbine. The firearm was designed and manufactured between 2021 and 2024 by a gun designer known by the pseudonyms "Joseph The Parrot" and "Zé Carioca."
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