Block on ‘ghost’ gun plans

A US judge has blocked the planned release of 3D printed gun blueprints hours before they were set to hit the internet.

District Judge Robert Lasnik in Seattle sided with states that sued to halt the publication of designs to make weapons that security screening may not detect. Justice Lasnik said the blueprints’ publication could cause harm to US citizens.

The decision blocked a settlement President Donald Trump’s administration had reached with Texas company Defense Distributed, which initially said it planned to put files online overnight.

Gun control proponents are concerned the weapons made from 3D printers are untraceable, undetectable “ghost” firearms that pose a threat to global security.

But gun rights groups say the technology is expensive, the guns are unreliable and the threat is being overblown.

Josh Blackman, a lawyer for Defense Distributed, told Tuesday’s hearing blueprints had already been uploaded to the company’s website on Friday.

The publication of those files is now illegal under federal law, Justice Lasnik said. “There are 3D printers in public colleges and public spaces and there is the likelihood of potential irreparable harm,” he said.

Defense Distributed and its founder, Cody Wilson, argued access to the blueprints was guaranteed under the US constitution.

Eight states and the District of Columbia on Monday filed a lawsuit against the federal government, saying online blueprints would allow criminals easy access to weapons.

Earlier Tuesday, Mr Trump raised concerns about the sale of plastic guns made with 3D printers and said on Twitter he had talked with the National Rifle Association lobbying group about the weapons.

“Regardless of what a person may be able to publish on the internet, undetectable plastic guns have been illegal for 30 years,” Chris Cox, of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement.