A Texas-based gun rights group had already made several plans for 3D guns available online, but a judge has now legally blocked downloads of the blueprints
In America, a gun rights group that shared its plans for 3D guns has now blocked downloads of the prototype from its website after a federal judge backed state authorities' arguments that they could help criminals and terrorists make such weapons, CNN reports.
Judge Robert Lasnik's ruling did not go as far as to force the group to remove the plans altogether, but it temporarily blocked a settlement between Texas-based Defense Distributed and the federal government that made it legal to post 3D printable gun plans online.
‘This is a nationwide ban. ... It takes us back to a period of time before the federal government flipped on their policy regarding these 3D ghost guns,’ Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said on Anderson Cooper 360˚.
‘What it means is if anyone posts this information online, they are in violation of federal law and can suffer very serious consequences. So, it makes it unlawful to post that information and make it available to the public,’ Ferguson said.
Defense Distributed had previously announced that plans for a number of plastic weapons would be available today to people who had signed up for a login. Some were already available for download.
The settlement with the federal government was reached after a long and complex legal battle that started when Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson shared designs for a 3D printed handgun he called ‘The Liberator’ in 2013.
The single-shot pistol was made almost entirely out of ABS plastic -- the same material Lego bricks are made from -- and could be made on a 3D printer.
In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo is taking action to prevent the distribution of the 3D gun designs. Cuomo issued a cease-and-desist letter to Defense Distributed to block the distribution of designs, calling the pending release ‘reckless’.
Cuomo also directed state police to issue a notice reminding New Yorkers that manufacturing firearms defined as assault weapons is illegal in New York.
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‘As the nation rises up and calls for action against gun violence, it is absurd and frightening that the federal government wants to make accessing an automatic weapon as easy as hitting print,’ he said. ‘New York is proud to have the strongest gun safety laws in the nation, and we won't let this federal government take us backwards.’