Pennsylvania state authorities have blocked the public’s access to 3D printed firearms less than a month after the distributor was legally cleared to supply them.
The move was announced following an emergency meeting in Philadelphia. Defense Distributed, a company which uploads downloadable blueprints for 3D-printable weapons (including AR-15-style rifles), has agreed to make its site unaccessible in the state.
The company had initially planned to make its content available on the first of August. According to local broadcaster WGAL, 1,000 people had already downloaded the blueprints.
The availability of print-at-home firearms concerned authorities, who cited the weapons would be put into circulation without serial numbers. In theory, this would make the weapons nearly impossible to track.
Defense Distributed has garnered considerable fame within the firearm community in the United States for being the first to successfully demonstrate a 3D-printed firearm. The company was ordered to take its website down by the U.S. State Department in 2013 for allegedly violating international arms trafficking laws. The company attempted to appeal the decision by the Fifth Circuit Court, which supported the State Department’s decision. The Supreme Court declined to hear the company’s case.
The online firearm blueprint distributor was finally given the green light to continue its operation after reaching a settlement with the State Department in July 2018.
Defense Distributed has enjoyed noteworthy support from gun enthusiasts, initially raising $20,000 in crowd funding before its first printer was confiscated. During its quarrel with the State Department, the company was legally supported by the Second Amendment Foundation.
~ Firearm Dialy
