May 21, 2025 • 9 mins
In this episode we discuss all of the legalities of printing 3D Printed firearms.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:15):
Well, welcome to the Live toShoot podcast.
My name is Jeff Doddle and I'vebeen a licensed firearm dealer
for the last 18 years.
In this podcast, we talk aboutall things related to the
amendment, as well as anythingelse going in the world sports
story or anything else I mightfind interesting.
So welcome, welcome, welcome.
So first I wanna apologize forthe audio In my last podcast I
guess it was worse than I eventhought it was gonna be from
(00:38):
people when they actually triedto play it on their podcast
players and such.
And so I apologize.
I was.
You know, in a rush trying toget it out because I was taking
a trip to Florida and wanted toget something out before we
left, but I guess it did not goas planned.
So anyway, I apologize for that.
But I did go to Florida and hada great time in Florida seeing
(00:59):
family and we, I attended mygreat niece's kindergarten
graduation, had a great time.
And while I was there, I did getto see a, a 3D printer you know,
a personal one, not a commercialone, but got to me thinking
about, you know, 3D printed gunsand the fact that we hadn't
really talked about'em here,the, those, so evil quote
unquote ghost guns.
(01:19):
So I thought I'd go ahead andsit down and kind of go over,
you know, what it is about allthese 3D printed.
So let's, first, let's get tothe basics.
What is a 3D print gun?
It's exactly what it soundslike.
It's a firearm or parts of oneat least made using a 3D
printer.
And if you haven't ever seen a3D printer, it's.
Essentially it prints using aplastic type filament based on a
(01:42):
design, a three dimensionaldesign, and it layers that
filament back and forth overagain until it actually
constructs a 3D object ofwhatever it is that you di
design.
And in this case, it may be anupper or lower receiver for a
particular firearm.
So.
And it was back in about 2013, aguy who named Cody Wilson.
He dropped the, the liberator.
(02:04):
It was the first fully 3Dprinted pistol that fired a
single three 80 round.
And you know, it sent theanti-guns in tailspin that, you
know, that, that they were like,what is this all gonna be about?
And since then, things have onlygotten, have gotten better now.
I know some of you're thinking,you know, are these legal?
Well, it's a great question, andhere's the good news.
(02:26):
At least at the federal level,it is absolutely legal to make
your own 3D printed firearm forpersonal use.
As long as you're not aprohibited person, you know, one
of those felons, domesticabusers, or anyone else in the
law that, that the loss thatcan't own a gun.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 saysthat you can build your own
firearms, no license needed, aslong as they're for personal use
(02:46):
and meant for, you know.
Meet basic requirements.
For example, the UndetectableFirearms Act of 1988 mandates
that firearms must have enoughmetal to be picked up by a
detector.
So toss in a metal plate or usea metal barrel or something like
that, and you're good to go.
No serial number, noregistration, no A TF knocking
on your door.
At least not yet.
Now, don't get me wrong, thefeds aren't exactly throwing a
(03:09):
parade for these 3D printedguns.
The A T F's been sniffing aroundsince 2002, and they rolled out
a rule that tries to treat 3Dprinted guns and gun kits like a
regular firearm.
That means if you're a licenseddealer or a gunsmith, any 3D
printed gun you make or receivemust have a serial number and
you've gotta run that backgroundcheck on the buyers.
(03:30):
But for law abiding citizens,thinking about.
You know, tinkering around inyour garage, you're still clear
for now, and hopefully with thiscurrent administration it'll
stay that way, but.
Where it gets tricky is in theStates.
So while the federal governmentrespects your rights to build
your own tools for libertythere's at least 14 states out
(03:51):
there that have jumped on theanti 3D printed gun bandwagon
with their own regulations.
So let, let's just look at afew.
First off, you know, ourfavorite California, you can
make a pretty a 3D print gun,but you've gotta, it's gotta
have a serial number and youneed to register it with the
state.
They're also cracking downuntakeable firearms.
So no, all plastic builds.
New Jersey they've got some ofthe toughest.
(04:13):
It's illegal to make possessedor distributed firearm that's
mostly plastic or undetectableby metal detectors.
They're aiming straight at 3Dprinted guns.
New York, similar deal.
You need serial numbers andthey're pushing hard to ban
untraceable firearmsMassachusetts and Rhode Island
both have laws requiring serialnumbers and background checks
for 3D printing.
Parts Rhode Island, flat outbans, printing 3D guns without a
(04:36):
license.
Then you got your other usualsuspects, Washington, Colorado,
and Oregon.
These states have lost targetinguntraceable firearms, including
3D printing ones.
Washington makes it illegal tomanufacturer possess them
without proper licensing.
On the flip side, states likeTexas, Arizona, Florida, where I
was and Virginia are holding aline for freedom in these
places.
As long as you are following thefederal law, you can print your
(04:57):
own firearms without any extrahoops.
Virginia's got a law banningplastic firearms with less than
3.7 ounces of detectable metal,but that's easy to work around.
So.
Now let's talk about sellingthese bad boys.
If you're thinking aboutprinting a bunch of AR 15 lowers
and setting up shop, hold yourhorses, federal losses.
If you're engaged in thebusiness of manufacturing
firearms, you have to have afederal firearms license.
(05:19):
That means serial numbers,background checks, and a TF
paperwork.
If you're just, gifting A 3Dprinting gun to your buddy or
keeping it for yourself, you'refine.
No license needed.
But the second you startselling, you're playing in the A
TF stand box.
And trust me, they can bewatching.
So speaking of the AT tf, let'sget to the current legal
bottles.
Anti-gun crowds has been tryingto choke out 3D printing guns
(05:41):
since Cody Wilson posted theliberator of blueprints online
back in 2008, the StateDepartment tried to shut down
claiming the file.
The files violated his arms.
Export laws.
Wilson fought back saying it wasa first minute issue, sharing
blueprints as free speech, notgun trafficking.
He won that round, but thefight's far from over.
Right now the biggest battle isover ATFs 2022, rule on ghost
(06:02):
guns.
Gun rights groups like theSecond Amendment Foundation are
suing, arguing the ATFs,overstepping its authority by
reclassifying gun frames andreceivers as firearms in 2023.
The Supreme Court upheld the a srule in a five four decision,
but the case is still bouncingaround in lower courts.
This is a big one.
If the A TF wins, it could meanmore red tape or building your
(06:23):
own 3D printed guns.
But again, we're hoping thatthis new administration and new
DOJ quits pursuing that or backsoff of it entirely.
Then there's 3D printed GunSafety Act pushed by Senator
Gillibrand in 2023.
This bill would ban sharing 3Dprint gun PUE prints online,
period.
So direct, that's the direct taxon second free speech and the
(06:46):
second amendment, but it's stillfloating around Congress.
So.
Here's the thing, Patriots, theSecond Amendment isn't just
about hunting and shooting.
It's about the right to defendyourself, your family, and your
freedom.
3G printed guns are the ultimateexpression of that a, a way for
the little guy to, to level theplaying field without begging
for permission.
And the his bureaucrats.
Now, you know why?
(07:08):
Why all the ghost gun issues,right?
I mean, so the left is afraidthat the bad guys out there are
gonna go print their own 3Dprinted guns.
And so they won't be traceableand the bad guys can get'em and
they don't have to do'em.
And and they'll be able to usethem well, you know.
Put yourself in the bad guy'sshoes.
What is cheaper?
(07:28):
Stealing a firearm or going outand buying a 3D printer.
The filament, getting the printsand, you know, spending hours
building up, you know, a, areceiver and then you still have
to buy all the other parts tomake that a gun.
And if you're gonna find someguy that's gonna try and, you
know, build these, illegally andsell'em illegally to, to quote
(07:49):
unquote criminals.
The bad guys, well, he's gonnaprice them, you know, to where
they're not, you know affordablefor the bad guys because he's
got an investment and, and ittakes his time and money.
You know, these, this is not aquick process to print out a 3D
firearm.
It, it takes hours to do it.
So you're not gonna be pumpingout a bunch of them unless you.
Build up a full manufacturingfacility, and then again, why
(08:11):
would you waste your time tryingto sell'em to bad guys, right?
So, you know, it's a lot of youknow, worry over nothing because
the bad guys just, you know, theleft is always worried about
trying to keep the bad guys fromdoing things that the, the not
only law abiding citizens aregonna do because the bad guys
have their own processes, so.
That's kind of a rundown on 3Dprinted firearms.
(08:33):
They're legal at the federallevel for personal use, but
you've gotta watch for yourstate laws, especially in
California and New Jersey.
Film them requires an FFL.
But before we wrap up, I wannahear from you.
Have you printed a firearm?
You know, what's your take onit?
Where'd you get your plans?
I'd like to hear more about it'cause I've gotten interested in
it after seeing, seeing the theone that I got to see and
understanding, you know, what,what's the process like.
(08:55):
It might be, it might besomething I might even try and
take up.
But, you know, being a dealerand all that kind of complicates
things.
But anyway, lemme know if you'vegot questions about 3D printed
firearms.
Until next time, keep yourpowder dry.
Air aim true, and your rightsnon-negotiable.
This is Jeff signing off for theLive to Shoot podcast.
Thank you and have a great day.
Well, welcome to the Live toShoot podcast.
My name is Jeff Doddle and I'vebeen a licensed firearm dealer
for the last 18 years.
In this podcast, we talk aboutall things related to the
amendment, as well as anythingelse going in the world sports
story or anything else I mightfind interesting.
So welcome, welcome, welcome.
So first I wanna apologize forthe audio In my last podcast I
guess it was worse than I eventhought it was gonna be from
(00:38):
people when they actually triedto play it on their podcast
players and such.
And so I apologize.
I was.
You know, in a rush trying toget it out because I was taking
a trip to Florida and wanted toget something out before we
left, but I guess it did not goas planned.
So anyway, I apologize for that.
But I did go to Florida and hada great time in Florida seeing
(00:59):
family and we, I attended mygreat niece's kindergarten
graduation, had a great time.
And while I was there, I did getto see a, a 3D printer you know,
a personal one, not a commercialone, but got to me thinking
about, you know, 3D printed gunsand the fact that we hadn't
really talked about'em here,the, those, so evil quote
unquote ghost guns.
(01:19):
So I thought I'd go ahead andsit down and kind of go over,
you know, what it is about allthese 3D printed.
So let's, first, let's get tothe basics.
What is a 3D print gun?
It's exactly what it soundslike.
It's a firearm or parts of oneat least made using a 3D
printer.
And if you haven't ever seen a3D printer, it's.
Essentially it prints using aplastic type filament based on a
(01:42):
design, a three dimensionaldesign, and it layers that
filament back and forth overagain until it actually
constructs a 3D object ofwhatever it is that you di
design.
And in this case, it may be anupper or lower receiver for a
particular firearm.
So.
And it was back in about 2013, aguy who named Cody Wilson.
He dropped the, the liberator.
(02:04):
It was the first fully 3Dprinted pistol that fired a
single three 80 round.
And you know, it sent theanti-guns in tailspin that, you
know, that, that they were like,what is this all gonna be about?
And since then, things have onlygotten, have gotten better now.
I know some of you're thinking,you know, are these legal?
Well, it's a great question, andhere's the good news.
(02:26):
At least at the federal level,it is absolutely legal to make
your own 3D printed firearm forpersonal use.
As long as you're not aprohibited person, you know, one
of those felons, domesticabusers, or anyone else in the
law that, that the loss thatcan't own a gun.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 saysthat you can build your own
firearms, no license needed, aslong as they're for personal use
(02:46):
and meant for, you know.
Meet basic requirements.
For example, the UndetectableFirearms Act of 1988 mandates
that firearms must have enoughmetal to be picked up by a
detector.
So toss in a metal plate or usea metal barrel or something like
that, and you're good to go.
No serial number, noregistration, no A TF knocking
on your door.
At least not yet.
Now, don't get me wrong, thefeds aren't exactly throwing a
(03:09):
parade for these 3D printedguns.
The A T F's been sniffing aroundsince 2002, and they rolled out
a rule that tries to treat 3Dprinted guns and gun kits like a
regular firearm.
That means if you're a licenseddealer or a gunsmith, any 3D
printed gun you make or receivemust have a serial number and
you've gotta run that backgroundcheck on the buyers.
(03:30):
But for law abiding citizens,thinking about.
You know, tinkering around inyour garage, you're still clear
for now, and hopefully with thiscurrent administration it'll
stay that way, but.
Where it gets tricky is in theStates.
So while the federal governmentrespects your rights to build
your own tools for libertythere's at least 14 states out
(03:51):
there that have jumped on theanti 3D printed gun bandwagon
with their own regulations.
So let, let's just look at afew.
First off, you know, ourfavorite California, you can
make a pretty a 3D print gun,but you've gotta, it's gotta
have a serial number and youneed to register it with the
state.
They're also cracking downuntakeable firearms.
So no, all plastic builds.
New Jersey they've got some ofthe toughest.
(04:13):
It's illegal to make possessedor distributed firearm that's
mostly plastic or undetectableby metal detectors.
They're aiming straight at 3Dprinted guns.
New York, similar deal.
You need serial numbers andthey're pushing hard to ban
untraceable firearmsMassachusetts and Rhode Island
both have laws requiring serialnumbers and background checks
for 3D printing.
Parts Rhode Island, flat outbans, printing 3D guns without a
(04:36):
license.
Then you got your other usualsuspects, Washington, Colorado,
and Oregon.
These states have lost targetinguntraceable firearms, including
3D printing ones.
Washington makes it illegal tomanufacturer possess them
without proper licensing.
On the flip side, states likeTexas, Arizona, Florida, where I
was and Virginia are holding aline for freedom in these
places.
As long as you are following thefederal law, you can print your
(04:57):
own firearms without any extrahoops.
Virginia's got a law banningplastic firearms with less than
3.7 ounces of detectable metal,but that's easy to work around.
So.
Now let's talk about sellingthese bad boys.
If you're thinking aboutprinting a bunch of AR 15 lowers
and setting up shop, hold yourhorses, federal losses.
If you're engaged in thebusiness of manufacturing
firearms, you have to have afederal firearms license.
(05:19):
That means serial numbers,background checks, and a TF
paperwork.
If you're just, gifting A 3Dprinting gun to your buddy or
keeping it for yourself, you'refine.
No license needed.
But the second you startselling, you're playing in the A
TF stand box.
And trust me, they can bewatching.
So speaking of the AT tf, let'sget to the current legal
bottles.
Anti-gun crowds has been tryingto choke out 3D printing guns
(05:41):
since Cody Wilson posted theliberator of blueprints online
back in 2008, the StateDepartment tried to shut down
claiming the file.
The files violated his arms.
Export laws.
Wilson fought back saying it wasa first minute issue, sharing
blueprints as free speech, notgun trafficking.
He won that round, but thefight's far from over.
Right now the biggest battle isover ATFs 2022, rule on ghost
(06:02):
guns.
Gun rights groups like theSecond Amendment Foundation are
suing, arguing the ATFs,overstepping its authority by
reclassifying gun frames andreceivers as firearms in 2023.
The Supreme Court upheld the a srule in a five four decision,
but the case is still bouncingaround in lower courts.
This is a big one.
If the A TF wins, it could meanmore red tape or building your
(06:23):
own 3D printed guns.
But again, we're hoping thatthis new administration and new
DOJ quits pursuing that or backsoff of it entirely.
Then there's 3D printed GunSafety Act pushed by Senator
Gillibrand in 2023.
This bill would ban sharing 3Dprint gun PUE prints online,
period.
So direct, that's the direct taxon second free speech and the
(06:46):
second amendment, but it's stillfloating around Congress.
So.
Here's the thing, Patriots, theSecond Amendment isn't just
about hunting and shooting.
It's about the right to defendyourself, your family, and your
freedom.
3G printed guns are the ultimateexpression of that a, a way for
the little guy to, to level theplaying field without begging
for permission.
And the his bureaucrats.
Now, you know why?
(07:08):
Why all the ghost gun issues,right?
I mean, so the left is afraidthat the bad guys out there are
gonna go print their own 3Dprinted guns.
And so they won't be traceableand the bad guys can get'em and
they don't have to do'em.
And and they'll be able to usethem well, you know.
Put yourself in the bad guy'sshoes.
What is cheaper?
(07:28):
Stealing a firearm or going outand buying a 3D printer.
The filament, getting the printsand, you know, spending hours
building up, you know, a, areceiver and then you still have
to buy all the other parts tomake that a gun.
And if you're gonna find someguy that's gonna try and, you
know, build these, illegally andsell'em illegally to, to quote
(07:49):
unquote criminals.
The bad guys, well, he's gonnaprice them, you know, to where
they're not, you know affordablefor the bad guys because he's
got an investment and, and ittakes his time and money.
You know, these, this is not aquick process to print out a 3D
firearm.
It, it takes hours to do it.
So you're not gonna be pumpingout a bunch of them unless you.
Build up a full manufacturingfacility, and then again, why
(08:11):
would you waste your time tryingto sell'em to bad guys, right?
So, you know, it's a lot of youknow, worry over nothing because
the bad guys just, you know, theleft is always worried about
trying to keep the bad guys fromdoing things that the, the not
only law abiding citizens aregonna do because the bad guys
have their own processes, so.
That's kind of a rundown on 3Dprinted firearms.
(08:33):
They're legal at the federallevel for personal use, but
you've gotta watch for yourstate laws, especially in
California and New Jersey.
Film them requires an FFL.
But before we wrap up, I wannahear from you.
Have you printed a firearm?
You know, what's your take onit?
Where'd you get your plans?
I'd like to hear more about it'cause I've gotten interested in
it after seeing, seeing the theone that I got to see and
understanding, you know, what,what's the process like.
(08:55):
It might be, it might besomething I might even try and
take up.
But, you know, being a dealerand all that kind of complicates
things.
But anyway, lemme know if you'vegot questions about 3D printed
firearms.
Until next time, keep yourpowder dry.
Air aim true, and your rightsnon-negotiable.
This is Jeff signing off for theLive to Shoot podcast.
Thank you and have a great day.
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