Cody Wilson says he has a tool to bypass blocking of 3D weapon files
Cody Wilson, the creator of the world’s first 3D-printed gun, said he developed a tool to bypass software detection of weapon files. New York state law requires such software for new 3D printers. The Verge reports.
Wilson named the tool Hochulization, after New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who supported the first U.S. law requiring software detection of weapon files on new printers. According to him, the tool changes a file’s hash — a unique digital identifier generated by an algorithm — without changing the functionality of the printed item.
Plans for DEFCAD
Wilson runs Defense Distributed, which administers the DEFCAD platform. According to him, the repository contains more than 200,000 files with models of weapons and their components, including suppressors. Systems using hash matching could theoretically compare a file with a database of known models, flag it and block printing.
Wilson claims that Hochulization adds data to a file that changes its hash. In his assessment, this could make it more difficult to create a complete database of hashes for detecting such models. He said he plans to apply the mechanism to all 3D files in the DEFCAD repository by default and has already begun the process. Wilson also intends to make the tool available to platform users and release it as open-source software.
Solomon Diamond, an associate professor of engineering at Dartmouth College, told the publication that this approach could likely technically bypass a system relying on hash matching. At the same time, he noted that this does not make such a control method useless, since not every 3D printer user would take additional steps to modify a file. Downloading models from DEFCAD also requires creating an account and linking an email address.
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New York and California initiatives
New York’s law requires the installation of software to block printing on new 3D printers. It was adopted as part of the state’s budget package for the 2027 fiscal year. Hochul’s office did not respond to The Verge’s request regarding Wilson’s claimed method of bypassing such controls.
A similar bill, AB 2047, is advancing in California and is to be put to a vote in the state Senate. The document requires new printers manufactured or sold in California to be equipped with software to block printing. The state Department of Justice must compile a list of models that meet the requirements; starting in December 2029, models not on this list may not be sold or transferred in the state.
The article notes that these initiatives do not specify a particular blocking technology. Wilson also said his team had tested methods for bypassing artificial intelligence systems that analyze the geometry of objects. These claims have no independent confirmation in The Verge’s article.
According to New York police data, law enforcement seized one 3D-printed weapon in 2021 and 109 in 2024. At the same time, such items account for a relatively small share of seized firearms compared with conventional weapons.
