Firearms in the Third Dimension.

• Author: Siegel, Michael
• Position: LAW & JUSTICE - 3D-printed guns

A FEDERAL district court judge in Washington state issued a temporary restraining order last summer barring the implementation of a settlement agreement that would have allowed a company named Defense Distributed to publish computer-aided design files for the production of 3D-printed firearms. These files would enable virtually any individual who owns a 3D printer to produce a mostly-plastic single-shot pistol. The company also would have been allowed, under the settlement, to continue posting blueprints for 3D-printed handguns as it develops them.

The revelation that it is possible to produce a functioning firearm with a 3D printer led to a national scare, prompting attorneys general from eight states and the District of Columbia to file the lawsuit seeking the injunction that prevents the implementation of the settlement agreement, thus prohibiting Defense Distributed from posting any design files, at least temporarily. The scare also prompted several U.S. senators to file a bill that would ban the online publication of designs for 3D-printed guns.

The Trump Administration came under attack for agreeing to the settlement that permitted the publication of 3D-printable gun designs. According to many critics, this has--for the first time--made it possible for virtually anyone to produce a functioning firearm in the comfort of their own home. Furthermore, critics claim, it allows individuals to manufacture firearms that are all-plastic and therefore undetectable by security equipment.

Let's face it: the idea of people printing their own 3D guns is inherently scary. However, this is a scare that has been greatly overblown. There are reasons to be frightened, but the potential publication by Defense Distributed of computer files for 3D-printed pistols should be near the bottom of the list.

First, there is nothing new about the publication of design files for 3D-printable guns, and the injunction against Defense Distributed will not prevent anyone from viewing its design files. The cat already is out of the bag. Design files for the Liberator (single-shot pistol) have been posted on other Internet sites. Files for four- and six-shot 3D-printed pistols also are available.

Second, 3D-printer designs are not enabling people to produce guns in their own homes. They already have that ability. For years the Internet has provided access to blueprints for do-it-yourself guns and people have been producing homemade guns for decades. There are numerous...