California’s new bill requires DOJ-approved 3D printers that report on themselves targeting general-purpose machines.
Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan introduced AB-2047, the “California Firearm Printing Prevention Act,” on February 17th. The bill would ban the sale or transfer of any 3D printer in California unless it appears on a state-maintained roster of approved makes and models… certified by the Department of Justice as equipped with “firearm blocking technology.” Manufacturers would need to submit attestations for every make and model. The DOJ would publish a list. If your printer isn’t on the list by March 1, 2029, it can’t be sold. In addition, knowingly disabling or circumventing the blocking software is a misdemeanor.
Sorry, I’m just a guy from overseas trying to understand why, in a country where 1 out of 4 people possess weapons, the 3D printer is the problem. I mean, there are companies selling industrial-grade firearms—why the heck is the 3D printer the target?
Because it makes firearms available to people without having to jump through hoops the government can track, but they can make a machine that makes flexi-dragons into a boogyman, so they throw a “protect the children” in the bill and it automatically passes.
Because our government is run by old dumbasses.
Because money. Firearms are everywhere in the US because of gun lobbyists. If citizens print their own guns then money is lost.
Because between them, the legislators don’t have two brain-cells to rub together and figure out why this is an un-enforceable bunch of bullshit.
There are a few layers to it.
On the surface, the excuse they give is that printed guns don’t have serial numbers and thus can’t be tracked. They call them “ghost guns” to instill an element of horror in the messaging.
If you dig a bit deeper, you’ll see that it’s the same old tactic of manufacturing outrage and spreading fear in order to manipulate the masses. Even when people supposedly see through it, on the collective level it still works. So it seems to be an effective tool, which encourages them to keep using it.
On a deeper level than that, it’s a trojan horse. Just one more way to restrict consumers rather than holding corporations accountable. One more way to maintain their hold on people’s wallets. 3D printers give people too much autonomy, enabling them to be self-reliant. The people benefiting from the current system can’t have that, they won’t tolerate it. “No, you’ll spend $50 on that action figure, and if you need ten of them you can either cough up the dough or go to hell.” Basically.
Also not from America, but I assume this is just the same sort of thinking as trying to ban trench coats after the Columbine shooting, IE: they have to look like they’re doing something, but they can’t do the actual thing that would solve the problem because there’s too much money involved and they’re greedy cowards.
Also it’s weird that Teen Vogue was the best source that came up when I searched for that lol.
Just like all the “for the kids” bullshit excuses to enact draconian population monitoring, this system will make it harder for small manufacturing shops to compete with the mega corps.