3D guns: Trump will be 'totally responsible' for every printed weapon 'roaming the streets', senator warns

Democrats are urging the president to block a gun company from providing downloadable 3D weapon designs

(REUTERS)

Donald Trump has one day left to stop a company from publishing 3D blueprints for weapons online that can be printed nationwide, Democrats have warned.

In a press conference, a group of Democratic senators urged the president to take action after his own administration settled a lawsuit with Defence Distributors, allowing the gun company to begin uploading 3D gun designs to their website on Wednesday. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts senator, said Mr Trump would be held personally responsible if Americans begin downloading and printing guns online.

"Donald Trump will be totally responsible for every downloadable, plastic AR-15 (gun) that will be roaming the streets of our country if he does not act today," he said.

The press conference took place after at least nine states sued Mr Trump’s administration over the federal settlement, alleging their constitutional rights to regulate guns under the 10th Amendment had been violated.

The president himself acknowledged the controversy surrounding 3D guns, writing in a tweet on Tuesday, "I am looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense!"

If Trump fails to act in stopping 3D gun printing, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal said "blood is going to be on his hands."

Under Barack Obama, the State Department blocked Defence Distributors from publishing 3D gun designs, taking the position that 3D weapons posed threats to public safety and national security. The company then filed a lawsuit against the federal government claiming the agency had infringed on its 1st Amendment rights.

The federal settlement may also be in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act, Democrats alleged, since Congress was not informed of the change in guidelines surrounding printable weapons.

However, even if the president does act before Wednesday, it may be too late to stop the templates from getting into the hands of Americans.

Guns rights activist Cody Wilson, who founded Defense Distributors, has said he already uploaded the designs for several weapons on 27 July, including the AR-15 and AR-10 semiautomatic weapons, to one of his sites.