US judge extends ban on publishing blueprints for 3D-printed weapons

A US federal judge from Seattle has extended the previously imposed temporary ban on the publication of blueprints for 3D-printed firearms. The ban will remain in effect until a final decision is made in an earlier proceeding.

The judge stated in his ruling that the irreparable damage suffered by advocates of the right to publish the weapon designs is negligible compared to the irreparable damage that states will suffer if the existing restriction is lifted. He also states that public opinion is strongly committed to maintaining the status quo and to let the ongoing legal proceedings settle the discussion. This will include the question of whether the publication of the weapon designs falls under the protection of the First Amendment, which includes the American constitutional freedom of expression.

That procedure was brought by several prosecutors from eight different American states. They want to prevent the blueprints from being published just like that. Attorney General Ferguson, among others, says he is happy that ‘this dangerous policy’ has been stopped. He wonders why the Trump administration is trying so hard to make the untraceable and undetectable 3D-printed firearms available to abusers, convicts and terrorists.

By this he is referring to a recent decision by the US Department of State; it was ruled that the publication of the blueprints did not violate export restrictions. This cleared the way for Cody Wilson, an advocate of gun rights, to publish the blueprints. However, a judge has already put a stop to that.

Recently, five Democratic senators called on Facebook, Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Craiglist, Reddit and Yahoo to block the publication of the blueprints on their platforms. According to the politicians, there are reports that thousands of the CAD files have already been downloaded.