New York Bill Proposes Background Checks on 3D Printer Buyers

After a raft of busts in New York which led to the discovery of several caches of ghost guns, made of untraceable weapon components made from 3D printers, lawmakers in the empire state have now put forward a piece of legislation. The bill would make New York state residents undergo a criminal background check before buying a consumer desktop 3D printer. While the bill has yet to undergo discussion in the state senate, its proposal signifies a growing international trend as governments look to protect the public from the ghost gun trend.

The bill, named AB A8132, states that the background check would be compulsory for anyone attempting to purchase a 3D printer ‘capable of fabricating a firearm’ while also prohibiting the sale of such printers to anyone with a criminal background which would similarly disqualify them from owning firearms. And while there has thus far been no indication of specific makes or models, the bill defines a 3D printer as a “device capable of producing a three-dimensional object from a digital model.” Thus, effectively grouping any potential 3D printer into the same category for the time being.

A box of 3D printed weapon components found by the Met Police in a similar raid in 2022 in the UK. (Photo credits: Metropolitan Police)

Ghost Gun Controversy

This proposal, endorsed by New York State Representative Jenifer Rajkumar, comes just weeks after a stash of 3D printed firearms were discovered in a New York daycare. Raising serious safety concerns about young children and teenage minors who have access to 3D printed weapon resources online. In the past two years alone, the New York Police Department reported a 60% increase in the number of seized ghost guns. At the same time, a nationwide report from the ATF reported 20,000 ghost guns recovered by law enforcement officials during criminal investigations.

With the focus on 3D printed ghost guns now firmly in the attention of lawmakers and media, there will undoubtedly be further attempts at adding legislation to curb the access to 3D printed weapons in different ways. Moreover, some legal efforts have already been made in 13 different states, including New York. These range from requiring 3D printed weapons to contain serial numbers, to background checks for component parts, to reporting all 3D printed firearms to officials.

While the debates continue throughout the legislative process, the stance on the ground is clear: “To those who think printing 3D guns is the way of the future: you are wrong” was the sentiment of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban in a press conference following the recent seizure of ghost guns from the New York daycare. Across the country and around the world, law enforcement continues to crack down on the practice and is looking for new ways to keep 3D printed weapons out of the hands of minors and off the streets. You can find the full bill HERE.

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*Cover Photo Credits: Drew Angerer (Getty Images)