Judge Robert Lasnik’s ruling didn’t order the plans to be taken down but temporarily blocked a settlement that Defense Distributed, a Texas-based gun rights organization and the federal government reached in June that made it legal to post 3D printable gun plans online.
“This is a nationwide ban. … It takes us back to a period of time before the federal government flipped on their policy regarding these 3D ghost guns,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said on “Anderson Cooper 360˚”
“What it means is if anyone posts this information online, they are in violation of federal law and can suffer very serious consequences. So, it makes it unlawful to post that information and make it available to the public,” Ferguson said.
Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson said the site has disabled downloads until he reviews the order. Later he tweeted: “By order of a federal judge in the Western District of Washington, http://DEFCAD.com is going dark.”
The website had touted that plans for several plastic weapons would be available Wednesday to people who had signed up for a login. Some plans had already been available for download. The settlement with the federal government had ended a multiyear legal battle that started when Wilson posted designs for a 3D printed handgun he called “The Liberator” in 2013. The single-shot pistol was made almost entirely out of ABS plastic — the same material Lego bricks are made from — and could be made on a 3D printer.
Wilson sued the federal government in 2015. But Lasnik found the government didn’t follow procedure when agreeing to the settlement.
“Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on the merits of their Administrative Procedure Act claim,” the judge wrote.
CNN reached out to Josh Blackman, a lawyer for Defense Distributed, for comment. The litigants will return to court on August 10 to discuss whether a preliminary injunction is needed. Ferguson announced Monday he was leading the lawsuit, which originally involved eight states and the District of Columbia. The petition for the temporary restraining order was filed in federal court in Seattle. Iowa and Virginia joined the case on Tuesday.
Alan Gottlieb, a founder and vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation, told CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time” that it was a matter of applying the First Amendment to protect citizens’ Second Amendment rights. He said some communities are losing access to firearms sellers because of local laws.
“If you’re allowed to own a firearm in your own home, you should be able to make the firearm in your own home if you can’t buy one locally because of crazy restrictions,” he said.