Press Releases
04/13/2020
After Website Publishes 3D Printed Gun Blueprints, Attorney General Tong Calls on State Department to Use its Civil and Criminal Authority to Protect Public
(Hartford, CT) – After Defense Distributed published 3D-printed gun blueprints in violation of federal law, Attorney General William Tong today joined attorneys general from across the nation urging the U.S. Department of State to use its civil and criminal enforcement powers to enforce the law and protect the public.
In a joint letter to Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, the attorneys general note the published files are on the United States Munitions List and posting them online without federal authorization is a violation of federal export law. The files enable the printing of functional plastic weapons, which would violate the federal Undetectable Firearms Act. Without federal action, these files will be widely distributed with grave consequences for national security and public safety.
“On behalf of the citizens of our states, and in the interest of preserving public safety and security throughout the United States, we strongly urge the federal government to act swiftly, using both its civil and criminal enforcement power, to ensure Defense Distributed’s compliance with federal law,” the letter states.
Connecticut and 20 other states filed a federal suit in January seeking to block the Trump Administration’s efforts to change federal regulations and allow plug-and-play access to the files that would allow 3D printing of unregistered, untraceable firearms, also referred to as “ghost guns.” Last month, the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Washington at Seattle granted a preliminary injunction in that case and blocked release of the files.
“Laws are only as strong as our ability to enforce them. Defense Distributed must face swift and severe civil and criminal penalties for their blatant violation of the law,” said Attorney General Tong. “Unregistered, untraceable weapons are a public safety and national security nightmare. Once these files are widely available, we cannot easily pull those blueprints back. We need strong, immediate action now before it is too late.”
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Media Contact:
Elizabeth Benton
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