Attorney General Becerra Joins Coalition of States Urging the Trump Administration to Protect Public Safety, Prevent Untraceable 3D Printed Guns

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in urging the State Department and the Department of Justice to abandon a recent abrupt change in policy which would allow untraceable 3D printed weapons to become available without restriction.

"The Trump Administration should focus on reducing gun violence, not putting untraceable 3D printed weapons in the hands of dangerous criminals both at home and abroad. Why would anyone increase the burden on law enforcement and sabotage its ability to keep American communities safe?" said Attorney General Becerra. "The Administration’s latest move opens the door to an increase in illegal firearms and shows an alarming disregard for public safety and national security. This is reckless and must not be implemented."

On June 29, 2018, the federal government reached a settlement with Defense Distributed, a Texas-based company that distributes 3D downloadable guns. If implemented, the settlement would enable terrorists, criminals, and other dangerous individuals to manufacture untraceable firearms with 3D printers. The settlement agreement also commits the State Department to pursue regulatory changes that would allow large amounts of technical data such as military data, weapons information, and designs to be uploaded to the internet.

In the letter, the Attorneys General argue that the settlement and accompanying proposed rules could have an unprecedented impact on public safety and national security. The self-made weapons will be unregistered, untraceable and some may be undetectable by metal detectors. This will create further burdens on law enforcement and on States that will face the illegal trafficking of 3D guns. In order to protect Americans, law enforcement, and national security, the Attorneys General ask the federal government to withdraw from the settlement and its proposed rules.

Joining Attorney General Becerra in sending today’s letter are the Attorneys General of: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

A copy of the letter is attached to the electronic version of this release here.