More than 1,000 people have downloaded plans for 3-D printed AR-15-style semi-automatic assault rifles following a settlement between the Justice Department and plaintiffs in a free speech lawsuit that was filed on behalf of Defense Distributed and its founder Cody Wilson.
Although the settlement prohibited downloading the plans until Wednesday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said that more than 1,000 people had downloaded the blueprints by Sunday after they were posted online.
As a result, Shapiro’s office requested a restraining order to prevent a website headed by Defense Distributed from allowing people with Pennsylvania IP addresses to download plans for the 3-D guns, a request that Defense Distributed said it would honor for several more days until a formal hearing.
The settlement reached earlier this month between the parties stipulated that the government would waive past restrictions against Defense Distributed so that the 3-D files and other information that could be used to produce lawful firearms. The settlement also said nonautomatic firearms up to .50 caliber are not considered military equipment. This applies to semi-automatic rifles, including the AR-15.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said that he and Shapiro would take action to prevent the guns from “getting into the wrong hands.”
“The threat of untraceable guns in the hands of unknown owners is too daunting to stand by and not take action,” Wolf said. “Attorney General Shapiro and I will fight to protect Pennsylvania families and children. The federal government has abdicated its responsibility to keep our citizens safe, but we will not be deterred from working to ensure Pennsylvania safety laws are followed and our residents are protected from these dangerous weapons getting in the wrong hands.”
