House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) blasted the Trump administration Tuesday for failing to stop the release of downloadable 3D gun blueprints.
“This decision is a death warrant for countless innocent men, women and children,” Pelosi argued in a statement. “For the sake of all our safety and lives, it must be reversed immediately.”
{mosads}Cody Wilson sued the government in 2015 after the State Department ordered him to cease selling downloadable blueprints to 3D print a gun on his company’s website. Defense Distributed initially published the firearm blueprints in 2013. After years of litigation, the Trump administration settled with Wilson earlier this year.
Wilson began offering the plans again online last week.
“This settlement makes clear that the GOP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the [National Rifle Association],” Pelosi charged.
“The Trump Administration’s sickening NRA giveaway undermines the very foundations of public safety. Metal detectors and other security measures will be completely useless against the flood of undetectable and untraceable ‘ghost guns’ that the GOP is inviting into our schools, workplaces, airports and public buildings,” she said.
The NRA hasn’t taken a position on 3D guns.
But the California Democrat also accused Republicans of refusing to take action to strengthen background checks and prevent future mass shootings.
“The American people overwhelmingly support commonsense action to stop the epidemic of gun violence in our communities, and if brought to the Floor, basic measures would pass immediately with bipartisan support,” she continued.
Making 3D printable guns accessible is unpopular with some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Several states have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the sale of the blueprints, arguing it’s “a threat to national security. “
President Trump said Tuesday morning he has spoken to the NRA about the matter and argued that it doesn’t “make much sense.”
“I am looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense!” he tweeted.
But Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) questioned who the president was speaking to at the gun rights lobby, noting there are already laws in place outlawing undetectable guns.
“Even Congress can’t ban 3D printers, the internet, or the 1st Amendment,” he tweeted. “The President certainly can’t. And besides, there’s already a law against undetectable guns. … With whom is he speaking at the NRA?” he tweeted.