New York, June 14, 2026, 13:59 (EDT)
- New York’s latest budget law will require 3D printers sold in the state to meet firearm-blocking standards, but only after a feasibility review and new regulations.
- Federal data indicate police recovered 1,629 suspected privately made guns linked to crimes in 2017. That jumped to 27,490 in 2023.
- California may follow other states in acting to limit 3D-printed guns, with new legislation under consideration.
New York’s 3D printer gun law is now state law, after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed it in the FY27 budget. The Associated Press said the new rule may require 3D printers sold to both home and business buyers to have software that can prevent making firearms. The measure, the first of its kind, is seen as a test of whether such tech can actually stop people from printing guns at home.
There’s no instant ban on selling printers. Under the law, New York’s Division of Criminal Justice Services, Department of State, and SUNY have 90 days to pull together a working group. The group will include specialists in additive manufacturing, AI, digital security, firearms rules, public safety, and product safety. If the members say printer blocking tech isn’t practical, officials don’t have to enforce the rule until it is.
If the standards go through, sellers would need to wait for the rules before the sales mandate starts. The law sets a $5,000 civil penalty for each noncompliant product sold, delivered or transferred illegally, though some licensed gunsmiths and federal firearms licensees can get exceptions from the attorney general. The measure also goes after illegal possession, sale or spread of digital gun blueprints and making of 3D-printed guns.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg sees the law as a possible big move for prosecutors tackling ghost guns. “It could be a complete game changer in this space,” Bragg told ABC7 New York. He likened it to how tech blocks standard printers from copying U.S. dollars. ABC7 New York
Law enforcement is seeing a surge in privately made firearms, known as ghost guns, which are harder to trace since they lack serial numbers. The Justice Department said suspected ghost guns recovered in crimes and sent to federal authorities jumped almost 1,600% from 2017 to 2023. The data does not show how many involved 3D printers. The AP reported 3D printers have gotten cheaper and more common over the last ten years.
3D-printed gun laws are moving beyond New York. Fox News, using Stateline data, reported that at least 16 states now have laws focused on 3D-printed firearms. Seven states passed big measures this year, among them Colorado, New Jersey, Maine, New York, Virginia, and Washington. The AP says California is looking at a bill to make printer companies add tech that stops firearms from being made.
Key technical and constitutional questions remain. The law uses algorithms and a digital library to check firearm design files before printing, but digital-rights groups say people can alter, split, or hide files, and large-scale scanning might block legal designs or reveal private or proprietary projects. The Electronic Frontier Foundation says the rule could mean surveillance of all print jobs and could discourage legal speech involving design files.
Gun-rights groups say they are getting ready for a bigger fight over the Second Amendment. The AP reports John Commerford, executive director at NRA Institute for Legislative Action, said “these measures only restrict responsible Americans — who do follow the law — from participating in constitutionally protected activities.” The next test is New York’s review of whether the technology works: if state regulators decide it does, officials could shift from just punishing illegal 3D-printed guns after the fact to changing how printers are sold. AP News
