Politics

NRA Shoots Back: These 3D Printed Untraceable Guns Have Been Illegal For Three Decades

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Mike Brest Reporter
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The National Rifle Association had to point out Tuesday that any untraceable gun is outlawed in reference to the recent legal settlement that will allow for the blueprints on how to print and set up a gun from a 3D printer to be available to the public.

“Many anti-gun politicians and members of the media have wrongly claimed that 3D printing technology will allow for the production and widespread proliferation of undetectable plastic firearms. Regardless of what a person may be able to publish on the Internet, undetectable plastic guns have been illegal for 30 years,” Chris Cox, the NRA-ILA Executive Director, said, according to Stephen Gutowski.

He continued, “Federal law passed in 1988, crafted with the NRA’s support, makes it unlawful to manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive an undetectable firearm.”

The settled lawsuit was brought on by Cody Wilson, the founder of the nonprofit digital publishing firm Defense Distributed, against the U.S. Department of State for infringing on his First Amendment rights.

It will allow for Wilson’s blueprints for how to print and set up a gun that’s printed from a 3D printer to be reposted on the Internet starting on Wednesday. (RELATED: Democrats Sound The Alarm Over ‘Ghost Guns’ After Courts Declare Them Legal)

The federal Undetectable Firearms Act, which was passed in 1988, made it illegal to manufacture or possess a weapon that would not be detected in a properly functioning metal detector or x-ray machine.

“I am sounding an alarm that come Aug. 1, America is going to get a lot less safe when it comes to the gut-wrenching epidemic of gun violence,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.