New York’s Proposed 3D Printing Law Is Doomed To Fail

New York Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled a package of proposals as part of her State of the State agenda to combat the rise of untraceable “ghost guns,” with a particular focus on those produced via 3D printing.

Dubbed a “first-in-the-nation” initiative, the legislation would require 3D printer manufacturers to equip devices sold in New York with software that can detect and block the production of firearms or their components. Additional measures include criminalizing the unlicensed possession, sale, or distribution of digital blueprints (CAD files) for guns, requiring gun makers to design pistols that are resistant to easy conversion into machine guns (e.g., via “Glock switches”), and mandating that law enforcement report recovered 3D-printed firearms to a statewide database.

Hochul framed the proposals as essential to closing the “plastic pipeline” of illegal weapons, building on New York’s already stringent gun laws. She highlighted a reported 1,000% increase in 3D-printed gun recoveries over recent years and cited cases like the alleged use of a 3D-printed gun in high-profile crimes. Supporters, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and State Police Superintendent Steven G. James, praised the measures for addressing an “emerging threat” that undermines progress in reducing gun violence—shootings statewide hit record lows in 2025.

The core of Hochul’s plan is to force 3D printer companies to integrate safeguard technology into their firmware or software. This process could involve algorithms that scan sliced print files for matches against a database of known firearm designs and halt jobs deemed suspicious. Proponents argue that this multilayered detection, potentially at the slicer software, cloud management, or printer level, would deter casual production and make it harder to manufacture unserialized firearms at home.

Yet, despite the ambitious rhetoric, this approach is fundamentally flawed and unlikely to achieve its goals. Technical, practical, legal, and enforcement challenges render it ineffective against determined individuals, while imposing burdens on legitimate users and manufacturers.

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First, the proposal applies only to new 3D printers sold in New York after its enactment. Millions of existing printers nationwide, and thousands already in New York homes, workshops, and schools, remain unaffected. Hobbyists, makers, and potential bad actors can continue using older models without restrictions. Even for new printers, compliance depends on manufacturers based outside New York (many of them overseas) agreeing to region-specific firmware, which creates logistical and economic hurdles.

More critically, any built-in blocking software is easily circumvented. Most consumer 3D printers run open-source firmware like Marlin or Klipper, which users routinely modify, flash, or replace. Tech-savvy individuals, precisely those most likely to pursue homemade firearms, can disable or remove detection features in minutes. Offline printing via USB or SD card bypasses cloud-based checks, and altered files (e.g., slightly modified geometries or disguised as innocuous objects) evade signature-based detection. As experts note, this is a classic “whack-a-mole” problem: databases of banned designs quickly become outdated as new variants proliferate.

Historical precedents underscore this futility. Efforts to restrict digital firearm files, such as the 2013 controversy over Defense Distributed’s Liberator pistol, failed spectacularly. Files spread via torrent sites, decentralized platforms, and dark web repositories beyond any single jurisdiction’s reach. Court battles have affirmed that code is speech under the First Amendment, thereby protecting blueprints as expression. Hochul’s criminalization of unlicensed possession of CAD files invites similar constitutional challenges, likely leading to the striking down of broad restrictions on information sharing.

Enforcement poses another insurmountable barrier. Detecting private 3D printing requires invasive monitoring, home raids based on suspicious filament purchases, or monitoring online activity? New York’s law would struggle to police decentralized file sharing globally. Criminals motivated enough to build untraceable weapons won’t be deterred by software hurdles they can hack around, while law-abiding makers face unnecessary restrictions on printing benign objects.

Critics from Second Amendment advocates, including the 3D printing community, argue the plan infringes on rights without addressing the root causes of crime. Most illegal firearms stem from theft, trafficking, or straw purchases, not home printing. Data shows privately manufactured firearms (PMF), while rising, remain a fraction of recovered crime guns. Punishing printer manufacturers and users burdens innovation in a technology used for prototyping, education, medicine, and art.

Moreover, the proposal risks unintended consequences. Forcing detection tech could drive users to unregulated imported printers or DIY builds, undermining safety standards elsewhere. Manufacturers like Prusa, Bambu Labs, or Creality might limit sales in New York or challenge the mandate legally, citing interstate commerce issues.

Hochul’s initiative reflects a broader trend: politicians targeting emerging technology to signal tough-on-crime stances amid a decline in overall violence. New York’s shootings dropped dramatically under existing laws, yet the focus on 3D printing amplifies a niche threat. Similar past attempts, bans on 80% gun kits or file distribution, slowed but never stopped proliferation, as innovation outpaces regulation.

Ultimately, information and technology cannot be fully controlled in a free society. Firearm designs have circulated in books and diagrams for centuries; digital files are no different. Determined actors will always find ways to modify printers, source files anonymously, or use alternative methods like CNC milling. Hochul’s plan may score political points and inconvenience some, but it won’t meaningfully curb the production of 3D-printed guns. True public safety lies in targeted enforcement against criminals, not futile battles against bits and bytes.

Not to be outdone by New York, Washington state has introduced a nearly identical and equally flawed law.

Can’t Stop the Files: Media’s War on 3D-Printed Firearms Exposed

About John Crump

Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.