Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., wrote an op-ed in USA Today urging a comprehensive, nationwide approach to address the widening threat of 3D printed guns. These weapons are readily available through what D.A. Bragg describes as the “kitchen table pipeline,” and bad actors are manufacturing fully operable firearms at home for just a few hundred dollars.
D.A. Bragg wrote, “it is shockingly cheap and easy to make a 3D printed weapon,” noting that 3D-printers and the blueprints educating people on how to construct these weapons are easily accessible.
These guns pose serious public safety implications and present significant challenges for law enforcement. “Anyone could make hundreds of guns, undetected, regardless of criminal record. Furthermore, these guns are not serialized, making them untraceable if ever recovered at a crime scene,” D.A. Bragg wrote.
Combating these guns requires a holistic approach that combines traditional enforcement strategies with new regulations and meaningful collaboration with the private sector. The Manhattan D.A.’s Office prosecutes individuals for making, selling, and trafficking these 3D guns in collaboration with law enforcement partners. D.A. Bragg explained that “Working alongside the NYPD and the ATF, we share strategies, intelligence and resources to bring enforcement measures and hold people accountable.”
Beyond prosecution, the Office has also engaged with the private sector, including 3D printing companies and a digital design firm, to curb the production of these weapons. D.A. Bragg explained how he “urged these businesses to enhance security measures and implement technology to detect and block attempts to upload or print guns and gun parts.”
D.A. Bragg noted that “These efforts are yielding results. Several 3D printing companies added user agreements explicitly prohibiting the printing of guns, and a digital design company removed gun blueprints.”
Earlier this month, D.A. Bragg stood with Governor Kathy Hochul as she unveiled proposals to codify this work, “including requiring 3D printing companies to install software that blocks the manufacture of guns.” Furthermore, the Governor adopted the framework of legislation the D.A.’s Office proposed that would criminalize the manufacture of 3D printed guns and gun parts, which are “commonsense steps that treat 3D printed guns with the seriousness they deserve.”
D.A. Bragg underscored that broader adoption of New York’s gun laws is critical. “This legal framework offers a model for accountability and meaningful prevention. But New York is just one of 50 states, and patchwork enforcement will not stop the flow of these weapons. We need a united front across the country.”
D.A. Bragg concluded, “we cannot do it alone. I welcome anyone to join this fight to save lives and protect our communities.”
Read the full op-ed here.
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