1 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Hey everyone, I'm Robert Evans, and welcome to episode three 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,639 Speaker 1: of Printing the Revolution. Here's my partner, James Stout. 3 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 2: In the spring and summer of twenty twenty, millions of 4 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:20,160 Speaker 2: Americans had versions of the same experience. State forces killed 5 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 2: the helpless man, Protesters took to the streets in anger, 6 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 2: and armed agents of the state responded with mass violence. 7 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,479 Speaker 2: A lot of people's lives changed forever in fairly short order. 8 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 2: What happened in Me and Mara after the military coup 9 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 2: was that story turned up to eleven within days. The 10 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 2: military had used live fire and demonstrators zor our saws 11 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 2: for today's episode. We're twenty two years old. At the time. 12 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 2: He spend his days working as a delivery driver, hang 13 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 2: out with his girlfriend playing video games. On the day 14 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 2: the coup started, he was playing pubg after a long shift. 15 00:00:57,960 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 2: Soon he and his girlfriend took to the streets with 16 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 2: thousands of other gen z Burmese kids. The state responded 17 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 2: with massacres, often firing automatic weapons into the crowds. So 18 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 2: had n't been particularly politically active before this moment. In fact, 19 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 2: he felt pretty poorly towards revolutionary supposing the government in 20 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 2: the jungle, seeing them as rebellious trouble makers. 21 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 3: In the past, we thought that the military is a 22 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 3: group that loves all the people and all the different 23 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 3: groups in the in the country. And then there's just 24 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 3: a few people who really hate the military. But especially 25 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:41,959 Speaker 3: after the one who we face it with our own foreheads, 26 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 3: with the guns. We can face the evil the military 27 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 3: and all the human rights and things that people who 28 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 3: hated the military before we're talking about. We understand it 29 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 3: now because we had to face it ourselves. And then 30 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 3: they're going to tell us terrorists, and how very much 31 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 3: they call us. We know that we're finding for human 32 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 3: rights and we know that each person deserves these basic things, 33 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 3: you know. So so even when we capture a soldier, 34 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,800 Speaker 3: we don't kill them immediately as they're unarmed. You know, 35 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 3: when they capture a PDF, they torture and kill them 36 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 3: very very horrifically or horrendously, and they kill and do 37 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 3: and hurt all the citizens and ordinary bystanders. So for us, 38 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:37,640 Speaker 3: what they're calling as rebels before, we're not rebels. They're 39 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,839 Speaker 3: the ones that are rebels, so we have to call 40 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 3: them rebels. They're the terrorists. 41 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:47,680 Speaker 2: But as violence against protests escalated, so all began to 42 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 2: see through the lies he'd been told by the military 43 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 2: or his life. 44 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 3: What we were calling as rebels are what we kind 45 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 3: of become. But we know why we are now rebels. 46 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 3: That's because of their terrorism, their oppressive reviews, and their 47 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 3: violation of human rights. That's why we have to revolt 48 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:08,799 Speaker 3: against them. 49 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:14,080 Speaker 2: For a time, protects responded creatively with giant potato guns 50 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:18,679 Speaker 2: meant to fire leslietho protectiles long distances. These homemade guns 51 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 2: to be fired in volleys well. Other protested protected them 52 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 2: with shields. Some of these tactics were effective at point, 53 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 2: but it quickly became clear that the government was willing 54 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 2: to massacre everyone's standing up to them, So his girlfriend 55 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:35,119 Speaker 2: and their friends quickly decided that non violent resistance wasn't 56 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 2: going to work, but they didn't give up. 57 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 3: As we get into June, there's two paths, right. We 58 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 3: can be normal, we can on the streets. We can 59 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 3: ask for the people's power back, and since that's not working, 60 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 3: we know that what we have to do is we 61 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 3: need to hold these bunds, get these guns. And on 62 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 3: the military side, all they know is that they will 63 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 3: solve this by folding guns so the only thing, the 64 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 3: only path that's left for us is to take those 65 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 3: guns for ourselves. So around the end of May, we 66 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 3: started entering training school. So the downtour is the word 67 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:23,119 Speaker 3: we use, and something like this corner part so one, 68 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 3: corner part one to two. So talking what that means 69 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 3: is that in the huntings huntings that we were doing, 70 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 3: hunting rifles that we were using for that. So we 71 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 3: kind of start started and we fought first and demoso, 72 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 3: if we can ask the military nicely, then there's no 73 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 3: reason for us to be using guns. But since they 74 00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 3: don't listen to our demands or our requests at all, 75 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 3: then and since that all we can do, all they 76 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 3: are saying, all they're doing is using the guns and 77 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,039 Speaker 3: being terrorists trying to shoot us. So the only things 78 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 3: that we can do to get what we need and 79 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 3: what we want is to take the concept for ourselves. 80 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:09,719 Speaker 2: And so, like hundreds of people his age, Zow headed 81 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 2: into the jungle in May of twenty twenty one. The 82 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 2: decision wasn't an over night one or an easy one, 83 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 2: but after protesting non violently, then meeting state violence with 84 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 2: community defense, then seeing his peers gunned down in the street, 85 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 2: he didn't have many other choices. He'd picked up a megaphone, 86 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,160 Speaker 2: then a shield, and now he was heading in the 87 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 2: jungle to pick up a rifle. The only problem was 88 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 2: that there weren't any rifles. 89 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 1: He left with his girlfriend and quote with the blessing 90 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:52,279 Speaker 1: of his parents. Keep that in mind for later. When 91 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: he first went to the jungle, Zol went to a 92 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,279 Speaker 1: two week training camp where the Carinni People's Defense Force 93 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: taught him the basics of guerrilla warfare. But they didn't 94 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: have enough weapons to arm him and his friends. So 95 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 1: these Jinz militants began their fighting careers with twenty two 96 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,480 Speaker 1: caliber rifles. If you aren't a gun person, the twenty 97 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: two was one of the smallest widely available bullets. Like 98 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:16,600 Speaker 1: any bullet, it can kill, but as a caliber it's 99 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: better suited for shooting rabbits than soldiers. These twenty two 100 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: rifles were handmade locally and only fired one shot at 101 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:26,839 Speaker 1: a time. But it was those rifles that Zaw, his girlfriend, 102 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 1: and their friends carried into their first gunfight with the Tatmadaw. 103 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: After battling like that for about three weeks, the shooting stopped, 104 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:37,919 Speaker 1: he said in an interview, we conducted over signal. After 105 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 1: the shooting stopped, we grouped together money to buy arms 106 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: by asking for donations. They were massively outgunned, but determined 107 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 1: to fight on with the weapons they could make and 108 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 1: buy on the black market until they could find something better, 109 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: even if that meant taking guns from dead soldiers. The 110 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 1: military's guns are extremely good, of course, compared to point 111 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,479 Speaker 1: two twos, he said. We fight with the mindset that 112 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: we must win. Our minds are always prepared to take 113 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: their guns when a soldier falls. It's a mindset to 114 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 1: want the enemy's arms to beat your own arms. You 115 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: need to want to resist injustice because we are fighting 116 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: for what is right. We do not get sad even 117 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: if we die. We are happy even when wounded. We 118 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 1: no longer care if our arms are matched unevenly not. 119 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: Despite their enthusiasm, PDF units all over the country were 120 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: finding themselves in the same desperate situation when thousands of 121 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: young people in Myanmar decided to take up arms against 122 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 1: the government. They're just warn enough guns to go around. 123 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: Ak pattern rifles sell for three thousand dollars on the 124 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: black market, and ar's sell for up to seven thousand dollars. 125 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:42,320 Speaker 1: The GDP per capita in twenty twenty was just twelve 126 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: hundred and eighteen dollars and thirty five cents per person, 127 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: and unlike militias in Syria and Iraq, the pro democracy 128 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: EAOs and Myanmar don't have the benefit questionable benefit of 129 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: the US flooding the region with its fire hose of 130 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: guns and money. Undeterred, Zaw and his squad took to YouTube, 131 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 1: where they they found videos explaining how to make two 132 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 1: two three caliber bolt action rifles. Again, if you're not 133 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: a gun person, two two three may not sound very 134 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: different than twenty two, but whereas twenty two is commonly 135 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: used to shoot squirrels, two to three is the standard 136 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 1: rifle round more or less for the US military. These 137 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:19,960 Speaker 1: new bolt action two two threes All and his friends 138 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: were making could not match the rate of fire of 139 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: a modern rifle, but they could at least match those 140 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 1: rifles in stopping power. Once these gin z insurgeons had 141 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: the technique down, they created a detailed album on Facebook 142 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:34,560 Speaker 1: showing how everything from the stalk to the barrel could 143 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: be made with pipes, lumber, and hours and hours of 144 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:41,720 Speaker 1: detailed hard work. Unlike their guerrilla warfare instructors, These kids 145 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 1: had grown up on the Internet rather than the jungle, 146 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: so they knew that if it exists, there's a subreddit 147 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 1: for it. It was the Internet that came to their rescue. 148 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:52,720 Speaker 1: Three D printed guns have been around for a decade, 149 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: but the early models didn't work well and suffered from 150 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,680 Speaker 1: a pretty bad reputation due in part to Cody Wilson, 151 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: the pedophileitarian activists we discussed last episode. Jake Hanrahan of 152 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: Popular Front has covered the printed gun movement extensively. 153 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 4: Cody Wilson made his whole thing like, I'm the guy 154 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 4: with the three D printed guns, and he was on 155 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 4: this moral crusade. The three D printed gun lads, particularly 156 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 4: the Terrence Dispense, were like, yeah, don't give a shit 157 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:19,440 Speaker 4: about that. We're just putting our stuff out into the world. 158 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 4: Obviously they got their ideas, but they weren't really wedded 159 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 4: to this idea of it being one person. 160 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:27,679 Speaker 1: Deterrence Dispensed was a group of anonymous activists who were 161 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,559 Speaker 1: more concerned with making printed guns that worked than making 162 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:34,199 Speaker 1: a name for themselves. Hammerhan was connected to one activist 163 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 1: who used the pseudonym j. Stark through the group, and 164 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: after three years of conversing online. Hamrahan met Stark in 165 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 1: Germany to produce a documentary. Jay Stark died of a 166 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 1: heart attack following a police raid last year, so we 167 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: spoke to Hanrahan about Stark's worldview. 168 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:53,959 Speaker 4: His whole worldview comes from this idea that you know, 169 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 4: it's everybody should have the right to be able to 170 00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:02,440 Speaker 4: fight tyranny. And if you can't fight any like, you're fucked. 171 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 4: And the way to fight tyranny in the modern era 172 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:07,240 Speaker 4: is firearms. We know that, you know, there's there's no 173 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:10,679 Speaker 4: you can't argue, it's there's no peaceful march gets rid 174 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 4: of a fascist dictatorship or whatever. But he he was, 175 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:17,080 Speaker 4: he he was you know, there's some people would say 176 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:19,280 Speaker 4: he was far right. Some people say he was an anarchist. 177 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 4: Some people say he was a US patriot type. I mean, first, 178 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,719 Speaker 4: he wasn't even from America, and he had a lot 179 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 4: of he liked the laws in America, but he wasn't 180 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 4: like some of the American kind of fan boy or 181 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:33,280 Speaker 4: anything on that sense. He liked the gun laws, he 182 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 4: liked the freedom of speech lords, which I do as well. 183 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 4: You know, like personally I in this country, you know, 184 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:40,280 Speaker 4: if you tweet the wrong thing, even in jest, like 185 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:42,400 Speaker 4: police will literally come to your house in Britain like 186 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 4: it's happened, it's fucking mental. So yeah, he liked that 187 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:49,600 Speaker 4: kind of thing, and I think, I think for him 188 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 4: it was he was very tonal vision. You know, he 189 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 4: was very tonal vision. It was just freedom, freedom of freedom, 190 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:57,720 Speaker 4: and if you said, well what about this, what about that, 191 00:10:57,760 --> 00:10:59,520 Speaker 4: he was like, I don't care about that until the 192 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:02,720 Speaker 4: freedom there, there's no point looking at anything else. And 193 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 4: so his brain was always on people that are living 194 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 4: on the tyranny, you know, and it genuinely would. I know, 195 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 4: there's a lot of people, even leftists, particularly leftists, had 196 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 4: tried to completely smear him as a white supremacist. They 197 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 4: were saying, oh, everything he said in that doc that 198 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:21,239 Speaker 4: I made was really it was secret anti Jewish white supremacy. 199 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 4: And then it came out that he wasn't even white. 200 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 4: You know. It was like very good, very good, you 201 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 4: fucking idiots. So there was a lot of that going around. 202 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:30,680 Speaker 4: But I honestly believe that deep down he was just 203 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:35,440 Speaker 4: tunnel vision, focused on this idea of every Until everybody 204 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 4: is not living under tyranny, I must go on this 205 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 4: mission and Okay, if someone shoots up at school with 206 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 4: what I've invented, so be it. You know, which I'm 207 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:45,600 Speaker 4: not saying that's good, but that was just his idea. 208 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 4: You know. He was like, so be it. Fuck it 209 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 4: if I can. You know, he was very genuine when 210 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 4: he was on about the wigas, or he was on 211 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 4: about the mistreatment of Kurds from Turkey, and you know, 212 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 4: he was like, look, if we can build something that 213 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:58,319 Speaker 4: can help them, well, sorry that the West might get 214 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 4: fucked up because of it, but I'm focused on this now. Obviously, 215 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 4: in practice that would be chaos probably, but you know, 216 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 4: he just saw it the way he saw it, and 217 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:08,960 Speaker 4: that was that. 218 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 1: The cavalier attitude Stark seems to have had to how 219 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: his invention might be used is of course worthy of criticism. 220 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 1: But the revolutionaries on the ground in Myanmar were not 221 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:22,679 Speaker 1: concerned with ideological debates over the ethics of homemade firearms. 222 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:26,439 Speaker 1: They needed guns, and they needed them now. J. Stark's 223 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: FGC nine, which stands for Fuck Gun Control nine millimeter, 224 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:33,560 Speaker 1: was simple to make, easy to use, and relied entirely 225 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,440 Speaker 1: on parts you could print or buy in any hardware 226 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:39,640 Speaker 1: store in September of twenty twenty one, a post popped 227 00:12:39,679 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: up on the foss cads subreddit, which is dedicated to 228 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,680 Speaker 1: the manufacturing of three D printed guns. Stark is a 229 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:49,079 Speaker 1: hero there. The post said, wanted to say thanks to 230 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:51,840 Speaker 1: this community, the creators of FGC nine and the various 231 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 1: mods when we could you guys are literally empowering the 232 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 1: armed revolution against dictators in one of the most underdeveloped countries. 233 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:01,600 Speaker 1: We are now equipped with FGC nine and starting the 234 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:06,040 Speaker 1: armed revolution to the coup leader dictator. As one poster comments, 235 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: the account quote went from posting about mobile games to 236 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 1: how did three D print SMGs? To desperately asking people 237 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:14,200 Speaker 1: to pay attention what was happening in me and mar 238 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:18,480 Speaker 1: Then after the FGC nine post, it was deleted entirely. 239 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: Jay Stark never lived to see this. 240 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 4: He would have loved it. What everything that he was doing, 241 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 4: that was the main focus in my opinion, that like, 242 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 4: it couldn't be a more perfect, like practical actual realization 243 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,320 Speaker 4: of his project. You couldn't pick a more perfect version 244 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 4: of it to happen like that, you know. And there's 245 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:44,080 Speaker 4: a lot of talk of oh, where there's a load 246 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 4: of drug dealers in Amsterdam I have FGC nine's. There 247 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,719 Speaker 4: was a Nazi recently arrested with one. You know, these 248 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,719 Speaker 4: people are awful, of course, but the most prevalent use 249 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,440 Speaker 4: of the FGC nine, at least from what I've observed, 250 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 4: has been from the Red was in my mum making them. 251 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,080 Speaker 4: I think I've seen like thirty of them so far. 252 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:04,840 Speaker 4: You know, that's a lot of them, And there was 253 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:07,480 Speaker 4: one was found stashed in a bush. My theory is 254 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:09,680 Speaker 4: there left the round for ambush attacks and areas that 255 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 4: are not as fully controlled by the rebels. 256 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 2: Foss Cad, a community of mostly US based Guan printers, 257 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 2: lost its collective mind, and it didn't take long for 258 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 2: people to make the connection between the post and a 259 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:37,520 Speaker 2: desperate plight of me and Mars Spring revolution. Soon after 260 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 2: the post, the tat Mador started posting pictures of FGC nines, 261 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:46,000 Speaker 2: often without sites captured from fighters in Yangon. On the 262 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 2: twenty first of September, the Tatmador's Ministry of Information released 263 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:56,400 Speaker 2: a statement. I Miat Thwei and Ye mint Ang were 264 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 2: found with an FGC nine Mark two pistol five round 265 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 2: pounds of nine millimeters ammunition. They were arrested along with 266 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 2: their drone. The military alleged they were an urban unit 267 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 2: from the same generation z E Freedom Army that Zoor 268 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 2: was a part of. That same month, the military posted 269 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:20,040 Speaker 2: pictures of three more captured FGC nines, suggesting that at 270 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 2: least five have been captured by late September. Then two 271 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 2: months later a new post popped up and the fosscat subreddit, Hey, 272 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 2: I'm back and the guy who posted a thank you 273 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 2: note back in September here. Now that the FGC nines 274 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 2: are ready known by the dictator, I can proudly announce 275 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 2: that we're from me and mar. Yes, we are mass 276 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:45,720 Speaker 2: producing FGC nines to fight back against the Dictator. More 277 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:49,560 Speaker 2: info about our production will be published later this time. 278 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 2: The user u slash daddy umcd hung around to answer questions. 279 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 2: Those bastards didn't know we had the tech back then. 280 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:02,040 Speaker 2: Now that everything in public, we can proudly say we're 281 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:05,680 Speaker 2: from me and Mah. We are mostly responsible for production 282 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 2: on R and D, even though we also involved in 283 00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:11,800 Speaker 2: other ground missions. We distribute the FDC nine to a 284 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 2: lot of different urban guerrillas in urban and rural areas. 285 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:17,760 Speaker 2: Some of the units got arrested a few weeks ago, 286 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 2: which you might have already seen on the subreddit. Apart 287 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 2: from the FDC nine, there are other equipments and weapons 288 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,600 Speaker 2: that are being produced with three D printers, he wrote. 289 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 2: He said his team were residing in ethnic armed organization areas, 290 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:35,560 Speaker 2: mainly the Koran National Union and the Kachin Independence Army 291 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:39,720 Speaker 2: controlled zones. He posted that they tried other three D 292 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 2: printer designs, such as the PLASTICOV, which is a printed 293 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:46,720 Speaker 2: AK forty seven receiver, but getting the other parts made 294 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 2: it impractical. By contrast, the FDC nine can be made 295 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:54,520 Speaker 2: entirely using a three D printer and some hardware store parts. 296 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 2: According to another source, ME and Mars small motorcycle repair 297 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 2: shops made quick work the metal barrels and bolts. Electrochemical 298 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 2: machining was used to make more barrels. They also had 299 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 2: the chance to buy a few clock barrels from Thailand, 300 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:12,719 Speaker 2: Daddy UMCD said, but those cost a lot more than 301 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:17,920 Speaker 2: the FGC nine barrels. While his account continued to post, 302 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:21,440 Speaker 2: the military continued to share photos of captured FGC nines. 303 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,000 Speaker 2: Three workshops that had been using lathes to make the 304 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 2: barrels were raided. A photos of three more captured guns 305 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 2: popped up in November alongside bolt action rifles. It still 306 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,200 Speaker 2: had stickers on their stocks from what looked like US 307 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:41,000 Speaker 2: gun shops. Production and decentralized locations continued despite the raids, 308 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:45,879 Speaker 2: while other groups fought on with homemade revolving rifles, crewded 309 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 2: homemade wooden stocks, and other improvised weapons. A telegram channel 310 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 2: with instructions in Burmese on how to make the guns 311 00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:57,119 Speaker 2: made sure that even when one shop or gunsmith was 312 00:17:57,119 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 2: taken out of the fight, the knowledge wasn't lost. Although 313 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 2: filament for their three D printers were becoming harder to get, 314 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:09,960 Speaker 2: they'd stockpiled a lot in advance. Daddy UMCD tried to 315 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:15,280 Speaker 2: manufacture automatic FGC nines and another printable model called Professor 316 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:19,040 Speaker 2: Parabellum square tubes up machine gun, but nothing else seemed 317 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:22,439 Speaker 2: as easier as reliable as the FGC nine. Of course, 318 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:25,399 Speaker 2: read it being read it, people questioned the veracity and 319 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:30,439 Speaker 2: utility of his posts. He responded, FDC nines are just 320 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 2: part of the game because they could be produced with 321 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 2: what we have at the lowest cost. Available rifles of 322 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:38,679 Speaker 2: four thousand to seven thousand US dollars at our border. 323 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 2: Fgcs are under one hundred dollars. Rifle parts are ten 324 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:47,600 Speaker 2: times more expensive than lock parts. To all those who 325 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:50,400 Speaker 2: are saying that these photos as sus we don't want 326 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 2: to blame your suspicion if an if you remember the 327 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:56,199 Speaker 2: thread I posted in September, you'll remember that we are 328 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 2: mass producing FGC knights. The ones in the photos you've 329 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 2: seen were supplied by us. There are many groups like 330 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:04,399 Speaker 2: this now we do the main production, just like I 331 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:09,160 Speaker 2: explained in September. Then, Daddy UMCD went on to thank 332 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,160 Speaker 2: the other members of the subreddit, claiming their active help 333 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:14,959 Speaker 2: was the only reason he and other revolutionaries have been 334 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 2: able to overcome certain technical issues. We wouldn't be here 335 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 2: without you guys, especially with someone who shared with me. 336 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:25,960 Speaker 2: The buffer spring and fire control groups bring measurements, he said. 337 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:29,879 Speaker 2: By late November, photos of FGC nines in the hands 338 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:33,880 Speaker 2: of fighters emerged, and they showed sites. This time they 339 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:38,639 Speaker 2: had longer barrels and homemade suppressors too. The FGC nines 340 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:41,479 Speaker 2: were apparently used by urban units for close up fighting 341 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:44,159 Speaker 2: and for the training of new fighters, since they have 342 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:47,639 Speaker 2: essentially the same controls as an AR fifteen or sixteen rifle, 343 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:50,679 Speaker 2: both of which are common in ME and r's rebel units. 344 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,920 Speaker 2: We have successfully streamlined a variety of techniques to produce 345 00:19:55,359 --> 00:20:01,640 Speaker 2: FGC nine one thousand plus efficiently. Our primary forces arequipped 346 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:05,520 Speaker 2: with proper rifles. FGC nine's are for guerrilla warfare. We 347 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:08,200 Speaker 2: started using those in Hit and Run and Special Task 348 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:11,560 Speaker 2: Force missions too. We don't share much about the missions 349 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,199 Speaker 2: to the public yet. It will definitely come, and when 350 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:17,479 Speaker 2: it does, are updated here if I'm still alive, ha ha, 351 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:23,320 Speaker 2: wrote Daddy umcd on the foscat subreddit. Even with production 352 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 2: and full swing, ammunition remained a problem. Although some regions 353 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 2: can produce twenty two and nine millimeter home According to 354 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 2: Daddy umcd, five five six can be purchased in large 355 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:40,240 Speaker 2: quantities at the border with Thailand, but it isn't cheap. Instead, 356 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:43,840 Speaker 2: the PDF relied on raiding police and military outposts in 357 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:47,840 Speaker 2: the same way the EEOS had for years. Nine millimeter 358 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,159 Speaker 2: is the most common center fire pistol around in the world. 359 00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:53,800 Speaker 2: That's why Deterrent's Dispense picked it for the FGC nine. 360 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:58,560 Speaker 2: C's weapons often only have a handful of rounds, but 361 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,119 Speaker 2: that's enough to kill a soul and take his weapon. 362 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 2: Jay Stock might not have been around to see his 363 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 2: invention used to fight Trney, But Hammerhan thinks he would 364 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:08,720 Speaker 2: have been happy with the results. 365 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:11,600 Speaker 4: He would have been made up. I think that's everything 366 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:14,119 Speaker 4: he wanted to achieve, You know what I'm saying, That 367 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:16,400 Speaker 4: really is everything you wanted to do. 368 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:19,679 Speaker 2: Even the National Unity Government MI and Ma's government in 369 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:22,640 Speaker 2: exile has come around to any some of Jay Stark's 370 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:26,800 Speaker 2: ways of thinking. According to Daddy umcd our, Minister of 371 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:30,120 Speaker 2: Defense Minister already promised about the right to bear arms 372 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 2: at the first day of the revolution. 373 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:36,720 Speaker 1: Promises made by revolutionary governments are not exactly solid commitments, 374 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 1: but it's not hard to see why a generation of 375 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:42,200 Speaker 1: kids like Zaw, forged by an asymmetrical conflict with a 376 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 1: government that possessed a near absolute advantage in armaments, might 377 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:49,159 Speaker 1: be committed to staying armed even if they win. At 378 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 1: the moment, the future of their struggle is very much 379 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,359 Speaker 1: end doubt. Scrolling through Facebook photos of Zaw and his 380 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:58,320 Speaker 1: comrades as a surreal experience. They look not just young 381 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:02,200 Speaker 1: soldiers mostly look young, but they look like students kids 382 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:06,440 Speaker 1: from some weirdly militarized university. Photos on Facebook show them 383 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:10,120 Speaker 1: sprawled out together in the grass and Camo fatigues bearing rifles, 384 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:12,919 Speaker 1: but each glued to their phones as they cuddle in together. 385 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:16,320 Speaker 1: Zaw and his girlfriend, who he described to us as 386 00:22:16,359 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 1: the girl I love, fought alongside each other until January 387 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 1: seventh of this year. 388 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:26,679 Speaker 3: The battle that we started, she was coming within and 389 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 3: you know as halficens. A weapon landed near her and 390 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:36,439 Speaker 3: it hit her like so their bone broke, so she 391 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:37,440 Speaker 3: had to go to the hospital. 392 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,480 Speaker 1: Three D printed and homemade guns have helped, but Zaw 393 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:43,240 Speaker 1: and his friends are still fighting against a modern military 394 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,320 Speaker 1: with planes, night vision goggles, and tanks. Despite this, more 395 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:49,919 Speaker 1: than a year after the coup, they're still fighting and 396 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:53,199 Speaker 1: more soldiers deffect to join them weekly. It's hard to 397 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,359 Speaker 1: see what victory looks like. The cities will be another 398 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,480 Speaker 1: battle altogether, but in the jungle camp where Zaw video 399 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:02,400 Speaker 1: calls us, it's impossible to see what giving up might 400 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:05,879 Speaker 1: look like. Either he's still fighting, his girlfriend is healing, 401 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 1: and they're both committed to staying out in the jungle 402 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:16,000 Speaker 1: until they are in their freedom back or die trne It. 403 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,200 Speaker 5: Could happen here as a production of cool Zone Media. 404 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,120 Speaker 5: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 405 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 5: coolzonemedia dot com, or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, 406 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:27,640 Speaker 5: Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts, you can 407 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,360 Speaker 5: find sources for It could happen here, Updated monthly at 408 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:33,640 Speaker 5: coolzonemedia dot com slash sources. Thanks for listening.