Lawmakers in a growing number of states are trying to place restrictions on 3D-printed guns amid the Second Amendment fight over ghost guns.
As bipartisan states try to limit the availability and production of ghost guns — guns without serial numbers often made or modified using 3D printers — Second Amendment activists and gun rights advocates oppose restrictions that interfere with their constitutional right to bear arms, Stateline reported Thursday.
At least 16 states have put 3D gun laws on the books, and seven states are adding major legislation this year, according to a Stateline report.
It noted that lawmakers in Colorado, New Jersey, Maine, New York, Virginia and Washington have all imposed various restrictions on weapons manufactured without serial numbers by 2026, while California legislators are adding to already tough gun laws against 3D production by advancing a bill that would require 3D printer manufacturers to equip their devices with fire printing technology.
New York lawmakers have added similar legislation to this year’s state budget that will take effect in mid-June. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg compared the law to laws that prevent commercial printers and consumers from producing US dollars.
“We’re going to put technology into our machines so it’s not going to be a 3D gun. More like, you know, we don’t have, you know, commercial printers that print US currency,” Bragg told ABC 7 Eyewitness News.
In January, the Maine legislature passed a bill requiring serial numbers on all firearms, including 3D-printed firearms. That same month, former New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Bill A4975, which requires state residents to have a firearms license in order to have instructions or blueprints to 3D print a gun.
Colorado and Virginia also passed similar laws against firearms without serial numbers, while a Washington state law Gov. Bob Ferguson signed in March restricted citizens’ ability to own firearms for free while placing restrictions on digital blueprints and devices that would produce 3D guns.
A Minnesota legislative package considering broader restrictions failed to pass the statehouse in March.
The push to limit DIY legislation coincides with a sharp rise in 3D guns found at crime scenes.
Data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Arms and Explosives (ATF) shows that the agency found more than 27,000 3D-printed ghost guns at crime scenes in January 2023 compared to just over 1,600 found in January 2017.
Proponents of stricter gun laws say the proliferation of 3D-printed weapons increases the likelihood of mass shootings in American communities.
“As 3D printing technology becomes more affordable and accessible, young people are increasingly able to make their own guns – often without the knowledge of the adults in their lives. As schools purchase 3D printers and train students on how to use them, the issue of 3D guns is entering the classroom again,” a statement on the Everytown For Gun Safety website says.
Others, however, argue that gun restrictions violate Second Amendment rights and that the ban does not fundamentally affect public safety.
“The gun is not the problem. The person committing the crime is the problem,” William Sack, executive director of legal affairs at the Second Amendment Foundation, told Stateline.
Several states with restrictions are facing constitutional challenges. In February, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit faced a constitutional dispute, siding with the state of New Jersey in a case against Texas-based 3D gun blueprints designed by Defense Distributed.
The Third Circuit upheld a lower court ruling that upheld a stay and denial that the New Jersey attorney general brought against Defense Distributed, ordering the company to stop distributing blueprints for printing guns to unlicensed individuals.
Defense Distributed’s legal team is asking the court to reconsider and will appeal to the Supreme Court if unsuccessful, according to the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs.
