Technology 2 min read

Eight States File Suit to Stop the Release of 3D-Printed Gun Blueprints

Herr Loeffler / Shutterstock.com

Herr Loeffler / Shutterstock.com

On Monday, eight U.S. states sued to prevent the online release of 3D-printed gun blueprints.

Following the filing of a lawsuit from eight states, a federal judge from Seattle on Tuesday granted a temporary restraining order against the release of downloadable 3D-printed gun blueprints in the country. The download link to the files reportedly disappeared after the order was issued, although it’s already been made available on other sites and forums.

“These downloadable guns are unregistered and very difficult to detect, even with metal detectors, and will be available to anyone regardless of age, mental health or criminal history,” Bob Ferguson, Washington State Attorney General, announced in a statement. He was joined by the attorney generals from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Maryland, New York, and the District of Columbia.

Furthermore, 20 state attorney generals on Monday sent an email to the State Department and the Department of Justice requesting for the immediate ban of the 3D-printed gun blueprints from appearing anywhere online.

Read More: 3D Printed Houses are on The Way

Cody Wilson, a self-proclaimed crypto-anarchist, who founded Defense Distributed where the gun blueprints were made available, was not particularly happy with the court ruling. Wilson claimed in a statement to the BBC that the 3D gun was not a threat to the safety of the public.

“I haven’t watched any crimes be committed with it. As far as I know, only one person’s ever been arrested because of this gun, and it was a gentleman in Japan who was curious about making it,” Wilson was quoted as saying.

Last month, The U.S. Department of Justice released a ruling in favor of Wilson, saying Americans could “access, discuss, use, and reproduce” the data related to the 3D guns. In a series of tweets, Wilson expressed his disappointment, stating that he will not be silenced.

Seattle Judge Robert Lasnik has agreed with the last-minute lawsuit filed by the state attorney generals that the 3D print files could potentially cause irreparable harm. In his ruling, Judge Lasnik stated that there were “serious First Amendment issues” that should first be settled in court and has scheduled a follow-up hearing on August 10.

Do you agree that the 3D-printed gun blueprints should be taken down? Why or why not?

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Chelle Fuertes

Chelle is the Product Management Lead at INK. She's an experienced SEO professional as well as UX researcher and designer. She enjoys traveling and spending time anywhere near the sea with her family and friends.

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