BREAKING: Federal Court Extends Nationwide Injunction Temporarily Stopping the Trump Administration’s Reckless Decision to Permit Online Distribution of Downloadable Guns

Ruling Comes in Suit Filed by Twenty Attorneys General

Everytown Filed an Amicus Brief in the Case, Urging the Court to Continue to Block the Distribution of Downloadable Guns

NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety, the country’s largest gun violence prevention organization, today applauded a ruling from a federal court in Seattle extending an injunction that is temporarily blocking the distribution of downloadable guns online. Everytown filed an amicus brief in the case, urging the court to continue to block the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to permit online distribution of computer code that can be used to 3D print a firearm.

“Posting the code for downloadable, untraceable guns online is incredibly dangerous,” said Nick Suplina, Everytown’s managing director for law and policy. “While we are pleased that the court has sided with public safety, Congress must act to keep us safe.”

The suit, filed last month by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and the attorneys general of six states and the District of Columbia has since been joined by a bipartisan group of attorneys general from another 12 states. The suit asks the court to bar the government from lifting its prohibitions on online posting of blueprints for downloadable guns. The attorneys general for Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia joined Attorney General Ferguson in the suit.

The court’s decision comes as public concern over the dangers of downloadable guns mounts. In recent weeks, military veterans, law enforcement officials and survivors of gun violence have all spoken out about the dangers of downloadable guns. Additionally, a recent poll found that a broad, bipartisan majority of Americans agree that downloadable gun blueprints should not be available on the internet.

This public concern spurred Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) to introduce federal legislation (S. 3304/H.R. 6649) that would permanently prohibit the posting of any downloadable gun computer code that can be used to automatically program a 3D printer to print a firearm.