Fed judge blocks blueprint release for 3D-printed guns

SEATTLE — A federal judge yesterday stopped the release of blueprints to make untraceable and undetectable 3D-printed plastic guns as President Trump questioned whether his administration should have agreed to allow the plans to be posted online.

The company behind the plans, Austin, Texasbased Defense Distributed, had reached a settlement with the federal government in June allowing it to make the plans for the guns available for download today.

The restraining order from U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik in Seattle puts that plan on hold for now. “There is a possibility of irreparable harm because of the way these guns can be made,” he said.

Eight Democratic attorneys general, including Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, had filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block the settlement. They also sought the restraining order, arguing the 3D guns would be a safety risk.

Congressional Democrats have urged Trump to reverse the decision to publish the plans. Trump said yesterday that he’s “looking into” the idea, saying making 3D plastic guns available to the public “doesn’t seem to make much sense!”

Trump tweeted that he has already spoken with the National Rifle Association about the downloadable directions that the company wants to provide for people to make 3D-printed guns. The guns are made of a hard plastic and are simple to assemble, easy to conceal and difficult to trace.

“We don’t agree with President Trump very much,” Washington state Assistant Attorney General Jeff Rupert told Lasnik, “but when he tweeted ‘this doesn’t make much sense,’ that’s something we agree with.”