A grassroots initiative, Dont-Ban-3Dprinters.com , has been launched to track these bills, spearheaded by Yuto Horiuchi, the founder of the Japan RepRap Festival (JRRF). To alert the global maker community, the site is being translated into Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish, reflecting a growing fear that U.S. policy trends will ripple worldwide. 3D printing advocates from outside the US warn that if restrictions on software or firmware are forced into adoption, manufacturers may simply apply them across the board globally.
The website is packed with information, covering the ins and outs of the various bills, what they mean, how to contact lawmakers, and a sample script to help you outline your statement.
While Colorado’s HB 26-1144 focuses on the possession of digital files, other states are moving toward a more dangerous "software-first" approach. Lawmakers are shifting from regulating criminal behavior to mandating surveillance within the 3D printers themselves.
The Federal Level: H.R. 4143 , The 3D Printed Gun Safety Act of 2025, serves as the national template. Sponsored by Rep. Jared Moskowitz, it seeks to criminalize the online distribution of CAD files, effectively attempting to "remove the blueprints" from the internet entirely.
Washington’s HB 2321: Going a step further than Colorado, Washington is considering a requirement for all 3D printers sold in the state to include "blocking technologies." This would force manufacturers to bake scanning algorithms into their firmware to detect and reject firearm-related shapes.
New York’s S.9005 : New York’s proposal mirrors Washington’s but attaches it to the state's executive budget. It would ban the sale of any printer that does not have a pre-installed "firearms blueprint detection algorithm."
California’s AB 2047: California is eyeing a "roster" system, where only printers that have been state-certified as "tamper-proof" can be legally sold. This would likely end the use of open-source, offline printers in the state.
Thingiverse: The world’s biggest file library, announced in 2025 that it would use AI to block the uploading of firearm files.
Fingerprinting Your Prints : A team of engineers at Washington University in St. Louis is exploring ways to embed traceable digital “fingerprints” into 3D printed objects.
3D Printing a Gun isn’t that easy: In 2023, we tried printing a pistol. It wasn’t very good.
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Denise Bertacchi is a Contributing Writer for Tom\u2019s Hardware US, covering 3D printing. Denise has been crafting with PCs since she discovered Print Shop had clip art on her Apple IIe. She loves reviewing 3D printers because she can mix all her passions: printing, photography, and writing. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-17/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Denise Bertacchi Social Links Navigation Freelance Reviewer Denise Bertacchi is a Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering 3D printing. Denise has been crafting with PCs since she discovered Print Shop had clip art on her Apple IIe. She loves reviewing 3D printers because she can mix all her passions: printing, photography, and writing.
QuarterSwede I don’t even like guns but this is just a waste of legislative time. Remember prohibition? How did that work out? Reply
short-n-round As Reagan said – "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.". All's this will do is to turn hobbyists in to felons and drive things underground. Nothing will be solved. Once again, government is looking at the wrong end to address issues. Reply
ezst036 Surveillance. They are creating a surveillance state. Nothing could go wrong. What could go wrong? It will be perfect. Reply
Shiznizzle short-n-round said: As Reagan said – "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.". All's this will do is to turn hobbyists in to felons and drive things underground. Nothing will be solved. Once again, government is looking at the wrong end to address issues. My old Lady Nancy is here to help as well on your television. "Just say, No!"…To drugs. She forget to mention that her helpful husband Ronald Reagan, was importing really nasty drugs into the US using the CIA and then selling them on the streets. All the while imprisoning those people for life in many cases. Gotta love when you can actually get away with doing exactly that, then get caught after the fact and not do a single day in jail for your crimes. Ronald got away with all that. One law for little people and the rest can just print guns Reply
USAFRet People….lets at least attempt to keep it on topic. Reply
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/premium
- https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/colorado-could-ban-3d-printers-not-under-its-surveillance-to-prevent-creating-gun-parts-fourth-state-to-propose-new-bans-is-expanding-firearms-laws-to-regulate-digital-files#main
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- [Daily Due Diligence] NVDA NVDA
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.