Gun Activist Cody Wilson Gets Probation in Sex Case

Cody Wilson with one of his 3D-printed guns in 2013 (Photo by Jana Birchum)

Cody Wilson, the Austin-based gun rights activist who made his name building and distributing 3D-printed guns, was sentenced on Sept. 12 to seven years probation, according to a press release from the Travis County District Attorney's Office. Wilson, who pleaded guilty last month to third-degree felony charges of injury to a child and was originally arrested in 2018 for sexual assault, will also be required to register as a sex offender. (Under both Texas and federal law, he is prevented from possessing a firearm for five years after his release from probation.)

Wilson, 31, was charged last year after an underage girl reported he paid her $500 for sex. The two met on the dating site SugarDaddyMeet.com, and corresponded online and by text before meeting in person. Wilson fled to Taiwan after the victim reported him to law enforcement, and was extradited back to Travis County and charged with felony sexual assault. The plea deal that was later struck in consultation with the victim and her family will require that, in addition to serving probation and registering as a sex offender, Wilson must perform 475 hours of community service, pay $4,800 in restitution, install monitoring software on all internet devices, attend sexual offender treatment programs, and comply with restrictions on his activity and interaction with minors.

The Chronicle previously reported on Wilson's controversial nonprofit Defense Distributed, which dodged traditional regulations and licensing requirements for gun owners by allowing customers to assemble their own firearms with 3D-printing technology. In 2018, Wil­son successfully settled a lawsuit against the federal government and won back the right to publish instructions for 3D-printing a gun online.