Update: Somewhat as expected, after the hysteria if the last few days, CNN reports that Federal Judge Robert Lasnik - an Obama appointee - issued a temporary restraining order on Tuesday "blocking (the) federal government from allowing distribution of downloadable 3D printed" guns, according to a tweet from the Washington State Office of the Attorney General.
"The judge's rule is clear," Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said at a news conference. "We go back to the status quo, before the federal government made the disastrous decision to undo these protections for public safety."
"Disastrous decision", "reckless" - once again the hysterical reactions from the left spew forth, but as spokeswoman Brionna Aho notes, the judge's ruling does not order Defense Distribution to take the plans for the guns off their website, but keeping them up is again illegal.
"The effect is restoring the status quo before the government took action but (the judge) hasn't technically ruled on the lawfulness of the government action yet."
Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson said the site has disabled downloads until he reviews the order.
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President Trump appeared to voice his opposition to 3-D printed guns being sold to the public, in a tweet this morning, saying that he had already spoken to the National Rifle Association about the issue and that it did not appear to make much sense...
I am looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense!
As The Daily Caller notes, the issue of 3-D printed guns has reached a fever pitch in recent days after a Texas non-profit organization won the right to post the plans for such weapons online for public consumption.
The downloadable plans range from rudimentary handguns to rifles similar to an AR-15. The plans can be used by anyone with a 3D printer and minimal outside materials to create an untraceable firearm.
A selection of 3-D printed gun files already available on the Defense Distributed website, Defcad.com.
Several states have intervened to ask the Trump administration to federally ban such firearms.
“These downloadable guns are unregistered and very difficult to detect, even with metal detectors, and will be available to anyone regardless of age, mental health or criminal history. If the Trump Administration won’t keep us safe, we will," said Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D), who represents one of the eight states suing the Trump administration.
The fight over 3-D printed guns stems back to 2013 when the U.S. Department of State banned the Texas non-profit from posting plans for such firearms online because it...