New York Seeks to Criminalize 3D-Printer Files for Guns, Gun Parts

I haven’t tried to hide how fascinating I find 3D printing. The idea that anyone can come up with a concept, prototype it with something that sits on their desk, and sell it to the public is such an amazing thing to me that I’m probably never going to get over it. The fact that you can also use them to make guns just makes it even cooler.

The fact that you can do that, though, also means that any hope of gun control working is as dead as it can be.

That hasn’t stopped anti-gun states from trying, though. Many have already banned so-called ghost guns, which include 3D-printed firearms, though that hasn’t stopped the bad guys in the least.

Now, New York is going after the files used to print firearms and gun parts.

New York lawmakers are once again attempting to criminalize the online distribution of digital blueprints for 3D-printed firearms and auto sears—this time with updated language and renewed backing from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The revised bill (S227A/A1777A), introduced by State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, would make it a Class A misdemeanor to intentionally share CAD files for 3D-printed gun parts, including auto sears—small components capable of converting a semi-auto firearm into full-auto. While possession and manufacture of auto sears are already criminalized under state law, sharing the files to print one remains legal. The new bill aims to close that loophole.

“Our proposed legislation reflects a comprehensive fix that would give us additional tools to hold people accountable who are using and developing illegal firearms,” said DA Bragg. He called on the state legislature to act before the session ends in June.

This push builds on a 2023 proposal that also sought to criminalize the distribution of gun blueprints. That language is now folded into the new version. If passed, anyone sharing 3D files for ghost guns or auto sears could face up to a year in jail.

The bill is part of a broader effort by Bragg’s office to curb DIY gun manufacturing. Since 2020, the Manhattan DA’s Ghost Guns Initiative has resulted in the seizure of over 90 illegally possessed firearms and hundreds of associated parts, including suppressors and high-capacity magazines. The office has also urged 3D printing companies and digital platforms like YouTube to tighten policies regarding firearm-related content.

Of course, the issue here isn’t just a Second Amendment thing, but a First Amendment issue.

Computer files have long been ruled as being “speech” for the purposes of the First Amendment. There are files that are illegal to own, such as files that feature child exploitation, and I can’t really get upset over that despite considering myself a free speech absolutist. It’s not the files that are the problem so much as how those files were made, after all.

But New York seeks to restrict computer files that aren’t made via any kind of exploitation. That’s going to be a problem.

Plus, let’s be real here. All of this rhetoric involves a small number of the total number of firearms in criminal hands. The vast majority of guns recovered by police are traditionally manufactured guns that are largely stolen from someone and don’t feature any kind of full-auto switch.

Even if the measure did everything proponents claimed, it wouldn’t have even a negligible impact on crime.

But it won’t do even that, because this is largely unenforceable. It is, at most, a tack-on charge for people who are caught making guns with a 3D printer. Those are the very people who represent a problem, and it’s unlikely that a misdemeanor charge is going to be much of a deterrent since the felony charges for producing unserialized guns for sale haven’t already deterred them.

So on every level, this is stupid, but then again, Alvin Bragg and many New York state lawmakers haven’t exactly impressed me with their brilliance.