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3D-printed gun activist Cody Wilson accused of sexually assaulting a minor

Wilson has been in the national spotlight recently as the fight over his firearm blueprints rages on.

3D-printed gun activist Cody Wilson has been accused of sexual assault of a minor. CREDIT: KELLY WEST/AFP/Getty Images
3D-printed gun activist Cody Wilson has been accused of sexual assault of a minor. CREDIT: KELLY WEST/AFP/Getty Images

Cody Wilson, a gun activist who has been in the national spotlight recently fighting for 3D-printed guns, has been accused of sexually assaulting a minor, according to reports from local outlets in Austin, Texas.

The victim was only identified as “juvenile female under the age of 17,” and in an interview last month, she told counselors at the Center with Child Protection that she met Wilson on the website SugarDaddyMeet.com. Documents reportedly show that Wilson called himself “Sanjuro” and claimed he was a “big deal.” He identified himself as “Cody Wilson” in a conversation with her, according to a KVUE report.

According to the Austin Statesman, Wilson and the victim exchanged nude pictures.

The victim reportedly told police that she met Wilson on August 15 at a coffee shop. Surveillance video of their meeting reportedly reveals that Wilson arrived at the meeting in a car with plates that match those registered to his nonprofit, Defense Distributed.

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Wilson then took her to a nearby hotel, where they were captured again on surveillance cameras. The victim told police he took her to a room, where he sexually assaulted her and then gave her $500. He is not in custody.

In recent weeks, Wilson has made national news after shrugging off the potential of someone being killed or injured by one of the 3D guns printed from his blueprints.

“I literally believe in the Second Amendment, to the point that it’s alright and it should be expected that there will be social costs for protecting a right like this,” he said in an interview with Fox News Sunday when he was asked about the potential impact of his blueprints. “Why is the people’s right to keep and bear arms on the Bill of Rights? Why is it even protected? Because we know that there are downsides and that there are consequences to allowing free people to own the means of self defense. Of course we should expect and have a mature attitude that bad things can happen.”

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His comments on Fox News Sunday came just days after a federal judge in Texas blocked efforts by gun control activists — including the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, and the action group Giffords founded by former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) — to keep 3D-printed guns out of the hands of the public.

A federal judge in Seattle, however, issued an order blocking the publication of the blueprints last month. Wilson said at a press conference later that he had begun selling them other ways, including emailing them or mailing them on USB drives.


UPDATE, 4 p.m. Eastern Time: Police in Austin say Wilson has not yet been taken into custody, BuzzFeed News reported Wednesday afternoon. His last known location is Tapei, Taiwan. Authorities say they are working with U.S. Marshals to locate him after he missed his flight to the United States.

Wilson reportedly left the country after being told he was under investigation.