Downloads of data to produce untraceable plastic gun parts on a 3D printer have been halted by a federal judge in Seattle this afternoon. U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik agreed to issue a temporary restraining order against Defense Distributed, which resumed downloads over the weekend following the settlement in late June with the federal government of a 2015 lawsuit.
Eight states and the District of Columbia filed suit yesterday, led by Washington State’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson, on the basis that the settlement violated both a required procedure for issuing a waiver for gun manufacture and the Tenth Amendment.
Also today, President Donald Trump weighed in, stating on Twitter, “I am looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense!”
Senators added their voices later in the day, urging the president to reverse the settlement decision. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaskan Republican, tweeted that “Even as a strong supporter of the Second Amendment — this is not right.”
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, stated of Trump and the settlement, “It’s his doing, it’s his responsibility and the blood is going to be on his hands.” Fellow Democrat Edward Markey of Massachusetts said, “Donald Trump will be totally responsible for every downloadable plastic AR-15 that will be roaming the streets of our country if he does not act today.”
The settlement, which came without notice on June 29, included paying some court costs to Defense Distributed’s founder, Cody Wilson, and dismissing the suit that alleged the downloads violated the Arms Export Control Act.