The state’s latest legal assault on online code and home-built firearms threatens the Second Amendment, free expression, and long-standing American traditions.
California’s Attorney General, Rob Bonta, has filed a controversial lawsuit against two websites that publish blueprints and computer code for 3D printing firearms and gun parts, branding them as so-called “ghost gun” distributors.
The targets, Gatalog Foundation Inc. and CTRLPEW LLC, are accused of giving people — including law-abiding citizens — access to digital files that can be used to manufacture guns at home.
But such lawsuits attack the fundamental right of Americans to build their own firearms, a practice long recognized as lawful and rooted in the nation’s history.
Home-built firearms have existed for generations, and enthusiasts often responsibly craft them as a hobby or for self-defense.
California officials argue the digital files are dangerous because they are “untraceable” and “bypass background checks.”
California also claims law enforcement has recovered thousands of so-called “ghost guns” in recent years, but Second Amendment advocates counter that serial numbers and tracing requirements don’t prevent crime and only burden lawful owners.
The lawsuit seeks to shut down access to more than 150 printable designs and to hold the defendants liable under state law.
However, federal protections for code as speech could play a role as this case unfolds.
Ultimately, what starts as a legal fight over downloadable files may become a flashpoint in the broader national debate over gun rights, free speech, and individual liberty.
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