[SACRAMENTO, CA] – Earlier this week, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) introduced AB 2047, groundbreaking legislation that requires all three-dimensional printers sold in California to be equipped with firearm blocking features designed to prevent the printing of dangerous gun parts and ghost guns.
The bill comes in response to alarming data showing 3D-printed firearms have become an escalating public safety threat. According to a December 2024 report by Everytown for Gun Safety analyzing data from twenty cities, recoveries of 3D-printed guns increased by 1,000 percent between 2020 and 2024. Last week, Santa Rosa police seized three 3D printers along with 167 firearms- including 150 guns with obliterated serial numbers- in an illegal ghost gun manufacturing operation that left weapons easily accessible to a young child.
"As gun violence continues to devastate our communities, we cannot allow 3D printing technology to become a new pipeline for untraceable weapons," said Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan. "This legislation takes a proactive approach to public safety by ensuring that 3D printers sold in California include the technology to block the production of illegal firearms. I'm grateful to Everytown for Gun Safety for their partnership and leadership on this critical issue."
“California has always been a leader in gun safety, and this innovative bill proves we can stay ahead of the curve by stopping emerging threats at the source. This legislation changes the game, preventing 3D printers from producing untraceable firearms or the deadly ‘switches’ that convert handguns into fully automatic machine guns,” said Sharon Genkin, a volunteer with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action. “By blocking these print jobs before they even start, we are shifting from reacting to gun violence to preventing it. We are deeply grateful to Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan for her visionary leadership in championing this upstream solution and ensuring 3D printers are no longer used to circumvent our state’s life-saving laws.”
Under AB 2047, all 3D printers sold in California will be required to include firearm detection algorithms and software controls that identify files designed to produce guns and illegal gun parts, then block those printing requests.
The legislation builds on previous California laws addressing 3D-printed firearms.
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