3D Printed Gun Safety Act of 2025
H.R. 4143, titled the 3D Printed Gun Safety Act of 2025, would amend the federal firearms laws (18 U.S.C. § 922) to prohibit the intentional distribution of digital instructions—specifically CAD files and other code—that can automatically program a 3D printer or similar device to produce a firearm or firearm parts from an unfinished frame or receiver. The bill frames this prohibition as a public safety measure to combat the untraceable nature of so-called “ghost guns,” which can bypass traditional serial-numbering and tracing mechanisms. The Findings section emphasizes concerns about online availability of 3D-printed firearm schematics, the risk these weapons pose to security screenings and public safety, and the connection to firearms tracing challenges. The bill targets the distribution of blueprints rather than possession or manufacturing itself. It would rely on existing federal firearms penalties to enforce violations of this new provision. The text provided does not specify new penalties separate from current law, but it would criminalize the act of sharing CAD files or similar code intended to enable 3D-printed firearms. The measure is framed as a targeted response to a novel technological risk, while seeking to preserve First Amendment rights for general computer programming, according to its findings.
Key Points
- 1New prohibition: Adds a subsection (aa) to 18 U.S.C. § 922 making it unlawful to intentionally distribute, over the internet, CAD files or other code that can program a 3D printer to produce a firearm or firearm parts.
- 2Scope of distribution: Applies specifically to online sharing “over the internet” or via the World Wide Web and covers digital instructions that can automatically program a 3D printer (or similar device) to make a firearm from an unfinished frame or receiver.
- 3Policy rationale: The Findings describe safety risks from 3D-printed firearms, including untraceability, potential evasion of background checks, security concerns at checkpoints, and the broader impact on firearm tracing and public safety.
- 4Relation to existing law: Uses the federal firearms framework (Section 922) to address a new form of firearm-related wrongdoing (distributing digital schematics), and references ATF tracing data and serial-numbering challenges as context for justification.
- 5Limitations noted: The text focuses on distribution of files and does not ban possession, manufacturing, or ownership of 3D-printed firearms themselves. Penalties for the new offense are not specified in the excerpt provided, though the offense would be pursued under federal firearms law.