They are the guns anyone can make at home, with just a few clicks online.
Users just download the file, and then, with a 3D printer, they can sit and watch a plastic gun – a very real gun – appear before their eyes.
A Texas gun-rights organization, Defense Distributed, received government approval to offer the gun-making software on its website. However, Tuesday afternoon, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to stop the release of blueprints.
Cody Wilson, the founder of Defense Distributed, said in an interview, posted last year on YouTube by TheTruthAboutGuns.com, that downloading the free, public-domain gun-making software into a 3D printer to make your own untraceable “ghost guns” simply makes it easier than ever to make homemade guns. It is legal and keeps gun ownership private.
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“You don’t have to register it with anyone, or report it to anyone, there’s no numbers on these guns that you create," said Wilson.
“As long as you have the right to keep and bear arms, you have the right to make them," Wilson said. “We’re simply trying to expand your ability to exercise your Second Amendment.”
Wilson's company sued the government, claiming it was a violation of his free speech and gun rights; In June his company settled with the Trump administration, agreeing the blueprints could officially go back on the website August 1.
In an attempt to stop it, eight Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block the federal government's settlement. They also sought a restraining order, arguing the 3D guns would be a safety risk.
Concerns were raised about whether screeners at airports, courthouses and stadiums will be able to detect the plastic guns. However, the TSA assured there will be a way to detect them and stop them.
But some Senate Democrats are not convinced and are warning of the worst consequences.
“Coming to a theater near you. Coming to a school near you. Coming to a sports stadium, to any public place," said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal. "These ghost guns are the new wave of American gun violence.”
Experts say unlike traditional guns that shoot off thousands of rounds over a lifetime, the 3D printed guns normally last ony a few rounds before they fall apart.
At last check, Georgia’s attorney general had not joined that lawsuit and had not responded to 11Alive's email asking for comment.
Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association's executive director released a statement for the pro-gun group saying, "Many anti-gun politicians and members of the media have wrongly claimed that 3-D printing technology will allow for the production and widespread proliferation of undetectable plastic firearms. Regardless of what a person may be able to publish on the Internet, undetectable plastic guns have been illegal for 30 years. Federal law passed in 1988, crafted with the NRA’s support, makes it unlawful to manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive an undetectable firearm."
