Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced plans to pursue a nationwide crackdown on 3D-printed firearms, building on legislation he has promoted to New York State lawmakers in recent years. Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled the proposal during her 2026 State of the State address on Tuesday.
The legislation would require 3D printers sold in New York to include technology that blocks the unlicensed production of firearms and gun parts. It would also make it a crime to possess, sell, or distribute digital blueprints for printing illegal guns.
Bragg, who recently became head of Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, a national advocacy group, stated he hopes to bring the effort to other states. "Think of a world where you can't buy a printer that prints a 3D gun," Bragg said during a CityLaw Breakfast event at New York Law School. The proposed legislation includes criminal penalties for manufacturing 3D-printed firearms and requires minimum safety standards for 3D printer manufacturers to block the production of firearms and firearm components. It also mandates that police departments and sheriffs' offices report recoveries of all 3D-printed guns to the state.
Bragg compared the proposed restrictions to existing limits on home printers that prevent the production of counterfeit currency. The proposal builds on earlier legislation introduced in June 2023, which sought to make it a class D felony to manufacture 3D-printed guns and gun parts, and a class A misdemeanor to distribute the files containing blueprints to print these weapons and components. Bragg's office has previously worked with technology companies to address the issue. In 2024, the office contacted YouTube, resulting in the company enacting new policies around content related to 3D-printed firearms and ammunition. In March, Bragg sent letters to 3D-printing companies requesting additional security measures to block 3D-printed guns and gun parts. The number of ghost guns—untraceable firearms lacking serial numbers that can be made at home—recovered nationwide rose sharply between 2017 and 2021, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
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