The order comes in response to a lawsuit filed by a number of state attorneys general who claim that the Trump administration acted unlawfully in reaching a settlement in a lawsuit brought by Defense Distributed, a company that produces digital blueprints for 3D-printed guns, and the Second Amendment Foundation.
Judge Lasnik found that states were likely to suffer irreparable harm—the standard for a TRO—if the digital blueprints became distributable via a website, and he felt that the situation was such an emergency that the order was issued within a day of when the suit was filed.
But, people have been making guns out of various objects (like the widely popular “zip gun”) for centuries. And, as long as you follow certain guidelines (such as not making a machine gun), such guns are perfectly legal to make.
No street-level gun dealer is waiting for the TRO to be lifted so he can start flooding the streets with in-demand single-shot plastic pistols. The concept is too silly to contemplate.
Moreover, distributing plans for zip guns is a form of speech protected by the First Amendment, as it should be.
The idea that allowing websites to distribute digital blueprints for 3D-printed guns creates “irreparable harm” to the states is as silly as saying allowing people to distribute plans for zip guns does “irreparable harm.” The fear created by the phrase “3D-printed guns” should not be allowed to override common sense.