Trump criticises sale of 3D printed guns as states seek ban

DONALD TRUMP has hit out at 3D printed guns being sold to the public, a day after eight states sued his administration for allowing blueprints to be legally accessed online.

“I am looking into 3D plastic guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA [National Rifle Association], doesn’t seem to make much sense!” he wrote on Twitter.

Guns can be created by anyone with a 3D printer, a device that deposits molten plastic or powder to build an object layer by layer. Blueprints were due to be made public tomorrow after a ruling from the US Department of Justice. However, they were published online early and have since been downloaded thousands of times.

“Would-be terrorists may well see the 3D printed gun as a useful addition to their arsenals – and not just in the US,” Iain Overton, executive director of Action on Armed Violence, has written in a Daily Telegraph comment piece. “Once these plans are freely distributed, we can never know for sure where guns may eventually be printed.”

Bob Ferguson, the Washington State attorney general, said he would be suing the Department of State “to stop the illegal distribution of 3D printed guns” on behalf of eight US states.

The case dates back to 2013 when Texas-based Cody Wilson, the 30-yearold founder of pro-gun site Defense Distributed, created the world’s first 3D printed gun known as “The Liberator”.

The gun was made from plastic, with the only metal parts being the firing pin and a piece of metal included to comply with the Undetectable Firearms Act.

A blueprint for the gun was released online, allowing anyone with a 3D printer to replicate the weapon. Within weeks, the files had reportedly been downloaded more than a million times.

Amid mounting concern, the US Department of State ordered that these blueprints be removed, citing a violation of export laws. Defense Distributed, however, sued the Department of State in a legal battle that took four years. Last month it won its case.

“The era of the downloadable gun has formally begun,” said the home page for Defense Distributed.

The Department of State was this week sent a letter by eight states asking it to reinstate its ban.