Washington State’s latest legislative brainchild is a doozy: a proposal that would slap stringent regulations on 3D printer manufacturers, all in the name of curbing ghost gun production. The bill, floating through Olympia, targets companies like Prusa and Creality, potentially forcing them to implement software locks, serial number tracking, or even outright bans on printers capable of producing firearm parts. Proponents claim it’s a surgical strike against untraceable firearms, but let’s call it what it is—a sledgehammer aimed at everyday technology that empowers hobbyists, innovators, and yes, the 2A community.
This isn’t just about printers; it’s a Trojan horse for broader control. We’ve seen this playbook before—California’s microstamping mandates killed off handgun makers, New York’s SAFE Act choked accessory industries, and now Washington wants to kneecap a global manufacturing revolution. 3D printing democratized prototyping, letting garage tinkerers build everything from drone parts to custom tools without begging Big Industry for permission. By hitting manufacturers upstream, the state sidesteps direct 2A challenges (printing a lower receiver is still legal federally, after all) while creating a chilling effect: expect higher prices, crippled innovation, and printers neutered via firmware updates. For the 2A crowd, the implications are stark—DIY firearm tech like Polymer80 frames or printed suppressors could become relics, pushing reliance on serialized, trackable guns that governments love to registry.
The silver lining? This galvanizes the fight. 2A advocates should flood public comments, rally printer makers to push back (many are overseas and pro-freedom), and highlight the absurdity: if kitchen knives can be 3D-printed, why stop there? Criminals don’t buy from Creality; they improvise. This proposal reeks of technophobic overreach, and with midterms looming, it’s prime ammo to expose gun-grabbers’ real target: your right to build, create, and defend without a permission slip. Stay vigilant, print on, and let’s bury this bill in the courts where it belongs.
