Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 4 auguSt 2018

More states sue to stop online plans for 3D-printed guns

By MARTHA BELLISLE Washington state Attor-
Associated Press ney General Bob Ferguson
SEATTLE (AP) — More states urged the federal govern-
are suing the Trump ad- ment to enforce the court
ministration to dissolve a order prohibiting distribu-
settlement it reached with tion of downloadable gun
a company that wants to files.
post instructions online for The states suing are: Wash-
making 3D-printed firearms ington, Connecticut, Mary-
that are hard to trace and land, New Jersey, New
detect. York, Oregon, California,
Mostly Democratic at- Colorado, Delaware, Ha-
torneys general from 19 waii, Illinois, Iowa, Minneso-
states, plus the District of ta, North Carolina, Rhode
Columbia, filed an amend- Island, Vermont, Virginia,
ed complaint Friday ask- Massachusetts, Pennsylva-
ing a judge make it illegal nia and the District of Co-
to share plans on creating lumbia.
printable plastic weapons. The expanded lawsuit
One Republican — Colo- comes as a group of con-
rado's attorney general — gressional Democrats in-
joined the lawsuit. troduced legislation that
It comes days after U.S. Dis- would block online instruc-
trict Judge Robert Lasnik tions for 3D-printed guns,
blocked the plans from be- which are largely unde-
ing released until Aug. 28. tectable at security check-
He has scheduled an Aug. points, according a state-
21 hearing on the states' In this Aug. 1, 2018, file photo, Cody Wilson, with Defense Distributed, holds a 3D-printed gun ment released Friday by
request to reverse the U.S. called the Liberator at his shop in Austin, Texas. U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch and
State Department's agree- Associated Press Debbie Wasserman Schultz
ment with Austin, Texas- of Florida, Brad Schneider
based Defense Distributed. and use them," Lasnik said aggerated" because many including by sharing infor- of Illinois and Carolyn Malo-
The settlement jeopar- in his temporary order Tues- of the files are already on- mation contained in books, ney of New York.
dizes states' ability to en- day. line. paintings, and files," the "This isn't about freedom of
force gun laws, including Defense Distributed owner Washington state Assistant group said in a statement information; this is about
background checks, and Cody Wilson, a self-de- Attorney General Jeff Ru- online. our national security and
puts public safety at risk, scribed "crypto-anarchist," pert acknowledged that "Should any tyrants wish to our public safety," Rep.
the complaint said. The has said "governments some files are out there but chill or infringe the rights of Deutch said.
availability of plastic guns should live in fear of their hopes the court rulings will the People, we would wel- Another measure intro-
threatens safety in prisons citizenry." His company make it clear that any new come the opportunity to duced this week requires
and jails and makes air seeks to make guns acces- posts violate federal law. defend freedom whenev- plastic guns to have serial
travel more susceptible to sible to everyone, making A group of gun-rights advo- er, wherever, and however numbers and enough met-
terrorist attacks, the states "meaningful gun regulation cates called the Firearms necessary." al to make them visible on
said. impossible," according to Policy Coalition responded Kris Brown, co-president screening machines.
"The states and the District the complaint. to the judge's order by cre- of the Brady Campaign President Donald Trump
of Columbia have a clear Wilson's lawyer, Josh Black- ating a website with plans to Prevent Gun Violence, has questioned whether his
and reasonable fear that man, told The Associated for various firearms, includ- a gun-control advocacy administration should have
the proliferation of untrace- Press on Friday that they ing "the Liberator," a 3D- group, said the Firearms agreed to allow the plans
able, undetectable weap- are "still considering our printable single-shot hand- Policy Coalition's "reckless to be posted online, tweet-
ons will enable convicted options" but did not elabo- gun. and dangerous behavior" ing Tuesday that the idea
felons, domestic abusers, rate. "Our Constitution's First isn't a constitutional posi- "doesn't seem to make
the mentally ill, and others He told the judge this week Amendment secures the tion but "a publicity stunt much sense!"
who should not have ac- that the safety risks claimed right of all people to en- that will lead to someone Since then, he has been
cess to firearms to acquire by the states is "largely ex- gage in truthful speech, being hurt or killed." largely silent on the issue.q