Legislation in California aimed at preventing the production of 3D-printed firearms has civil liberties groups raising an alarm.
The bill, A.B. 2047, would require businesses that sell 3D printers in the state to alter their software to detect and block the printing of untraceable firearms, commonly referred to as “ghost guns.”
The legislation would also make it a crime to “knowingly disable, deactivate, uninstall, or otherwise circumvent any firearm blocking technology” on a 3D printer.
While proponents of the bill say it is necessary to prevent the spread of unregulated firearms, critics — including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) — argue that it threatens consumer choice, free expression and privacy.
The bill “will not only mandate censorware — software which exists to bluntly block your speech as a user — on all 3D printers; it will also criminalize the use of open-source alternatives,” the EFF said.
Passage of the bill, the EFF believes, would lead to the same issues seen with some traditional printers. Companies such as HP, for example, have prohibited altering their printers’ code and locked users into their ecosystem of products.
Other states could follow California’s lead
Ghost guns have been targeted at both the federal level and by numerous states. Last year, the Supreme Court upheld federal regulations that treat ghost guns like other firearms, requiring that they have serial numbers making them traceable. California is one of 16 states with ghost-gun laws on the books.
The 3D printer bill goes a step further than California’s current law, and it could inspire additional regulation elsewhere.
“As gun violence continues to devastate our communities, we cannot allow 3D printing technology to become a new pipeline for untraceable weapons,” the bill’s sponsor, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a Democrat, said when she introduced the measure in February. “This legislation takes a proactive approach to public safety by ensuring that 3D printers sold in California include the technology to block the production of illegal firearms.”
While other states have proposed similar laws, including Washington and New York, the EFF said that California’s bill is by far the most troubling.
“A.B. 2047 goes further than any other legislation on algorithmic print-blocking by making it a misdemeanor for the owners of these devices to disable, deactivate, or otherwise circumvent these mandated algorithms,” the civil liberties group said.
The legislation would also have a detrimental effect on lesser-known 3D printer businesses.
“The bill favors incumbent manufacturers over newer competitors and over the interests of consumers,” the EFF said. “Less-established manufacturers will need to dedicate considerable time and resources to implementing the ineffective solutions discussed above, navigating state approval, and potentially paying licensing fees to third-party developers of sham print-blocking software.”
The EFF fears that if passed, such laws could expand well beyond California.
“This law demands an unfeasible technological solution for something that is already illegal,” the organization said. “Not only is this bad legislation with few safeguards, it risks the worst outcomes for grassroots innovation and creativity — both within the state and across the global 3D printing community.”