UWS Pols Lead The Way In Fight Against 3D Guns: New Legislation

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A pair of Upper West Side elected officials, along with the Manhattan District Attorney, are leading the fight against the surge of 3D-printed guns in New York City.

On Monday, Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, State Senator Brad Hoylman, and District Attorney Alvin Bragg, announced new legislation that would make it illegal to manufacture 3D-printed guns or gun parts.

“The unfettered manufacture of 3D-printed guns and accessories must come to an end in New York State,” Rosenthal said in a news release. "Now, with this new bill, we will prohibit the manufacture of ghost guns, and stop reckless New Yorkers from producing weapons of war from the comfort of their homes."

Currently, New York State makes it illegal to possess a finished-3D printed gun, but it is not illegal to manufacture such guns. This new piece of legislation would close the manufacturing loophole by making this process a class D felony.

The new bill would also make it a misdemeanor to share, sell or distribute files containing blueprints for 3D-printed firearm components.

The number of 3D-printed guns has been climbing in New York in recent years. There were 100 in 2019, compared to the 637 seized in 2022, reported ABC7.

For those who know how to do it, creating a 3D-gun only costs as little as a $200 printer you can buy on Amazon and few hours to complete the process.

"It also means anyone with $300 can make a 3D firearm in their living room," Hoylman said in a news release. "Today, those days are over. With S7364, New York is continuing our fight against gun violence by making manufacturing 3D-printed guns and ghost guns illegal."

Blueprints for how to make the 3D guns, including machine gun files, are shared by domestic extremists in online forums that often come with manuals to construct homemade firearms and explosives, according to the Manhattan District Attorney.

"The ease at which people can create guns and gun parts poses a direct threat to the safety of our communities, which is why we are taking action to close these loopholes and strengthen the penalties on the books,” Bragg said in a news release.