3d ak receiver
3D printed AK receiver (Jeremy S. for TTAG)

Some odd documents are circulating on the Internet which purport to show that the Department of Homeland Security wants to combat “illegal -D printing,” whatever that is, because making firearms for one’s own use is generally lawful and always has been in America.

One reads . . .

Combined classified BATFE and NSA data efforts shows a significant rise in domestic violent extremists (DVEs) exploiting 3-D printing to produce weapons and firearm accessories that are unregulated and easy to acquire. Through torrent tracking, and other electronic surveillance measures (ESMs), this data shows that DVEs have downloaded shared files related to 3D printed weapons, equipment, and materials in all 50 states. This critical information has been forwarded to the appropriate local BATFE office, and multiple coordinated joint effort search warrants, and possibly arrests, will occur nationwide over the next few weeks. ICE and BATFE is also currently seeking to obtain seizure warrants from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio for the follwing web domains, in order to combat illegal 3-D print:

– all3dp.com
– defdist.org
– printedfirearm.com

BATFE is also currently seeking the voluntary removal of all 3-D printed weapons, equipment, and materials of the following domains from their web host. If voluntary removal is not met, futher action may be taken:

– cgtrader.com
– cults3d.com
– free3d.com
– grabcad.com
– stlfinder.com
– thingiverse.com
– yeggi.com

BATFE seeks further regulations and restrictions against the -D printing of weapons, equipment, and materials.

Since manufacturing firearms for personal use is generally legal (your mileage may vary in certain states), the only “illegal” printing going on would be building guns for sale or if felons or prohibited persons do it. Pro tip for Homeland security: we already have existing laws for that.

The apparent assertion that physical “firearms, equipment, and material” (not printer files) are on web sites is another weird point, not to mention the allegation (admission?) that the National Security Agency is conducting unlawful domestic surveillance of US citizens.

To settle the question, I asked Homeland Security if they could confirm or deny the authenticity of these documents. That was more than a week ago.

If they are authentic I wanted to know . . .

1. Why is the NSA conducting domestic surveillance of Americans?

2. What would be the basis for any arrests, since making firearms for one’s own use is generally lawful?

3. How and when did DHS determine that the people downloading and sharing electronic files — which the courts have found to be lawful, First Amendment protected activity — are “domestic violent extremists”?

4. Is DHS aware of the difference between additive polymer manufacturing (3-D plastic printing) and CNC metal milling (defdist.org)?

5. If the “Ghost Gunner” mills are unlawful, how will DHS differentiate them from any other CNC mill commonly used in manufacturing around the country?

To date, I have received no reply from DHS, not even an acknowledgement of the inquiry. But it has been reported that . . .

Thingiverse literally removed all gun related stuff

While there appears to be a lack of printable firearms, I still see plenty of listings for accessories. In our current cancel culture, though, one site choosing to remove lawful files may be their own choice, and doesn’t prove DHS interference. Since DHS doesn’t see fit to answer mere citizens’ questions, I guess we’ll have to wait and see if the alleged warrant service and arrests occur.

Personally, I doubt the authenticity of this, as does Defense Distributed; a representative of the organization said their “sources doubt the authenticity of these memos.” Nonetheless, they have added warrant canaries to their Ghost Gunner, Legio, and DefCAD sites.

DefDist warrant canary

Keep your eye on the birdy.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

42 COMMENTS

    • Remember Sen Rubio just pushed a bill to ban anyone “suspected” of being a terrorist to be banned from buying guns until proven innocent. Download gun blueprints = terrorist. Terrorist = no guns for you and prohibited person. Prohibited person with gun blueprints = go to jail. See the game plan they are running people?

    • Never mind printing a plastic gun today it’s tomorrow’s technology the nazis are worried about so they want to nip it at the bud.

      Besides that the biggest obvious problem today is in DC. That cesspool is full of stinking Rats and Rinos. After the Impeachment Farce that should be as plain as day with no questions asked. The Rats and Rinos need to go or say buh bye to America.

      As for Gun Owners across the board…You can either sit silently and cater to bigots and their N-jokes or the NRA and the POTUS DJT bashers and accomplish absolutely nothing but putting a sht grin on the face of the democRat Party or you can continue down the same path of appeasement and watch the 2A fade away.

      Gun Control Zealots who have shoved an agenda rooted in racism and genocide down the throat of America have also hung the racist banner around the neck of the Party of Lincoln, Gun Owners et al. It is waaaay past time that changed and the racist banner was placed back around the necks of its rightful owners: the democRat Party.

      And not stopping there. The democRat Party should be called out daily for their laundry list of race based atrocities including their race based Gun Control Insanity. And that also includes holding the democRat Party liable for Monetary Reparations.

      The way I see what goes on with some gun owners reminds me of the kind of neighbor who hears a man next door beating his wife and says nothing, does nothing. In a sense the 2A is that woman getting beat by pasty mouth bigots, the NRA bashers, the Trump bashers and the democRat Party. Far too many spineless Gun Owners allow it to happen and allow it to continue.

      • Absolutely Correct, Debbie!
        And this new Totalitarian administration is getting more and more brazen in their rabid agenda momentum without even sugar coating their complete disarming plans with the specious notions of ‘enhanced crime prevention’ under the ludicrous rationale of ‘Public Safety’.

        I seem to recall that DT (Domestic Terrorism) Had specific criminal criteria to obtain probable cause for the offense? Apparently, that was too restrictive for their true purpose of total populate disarmament. They want a much broader net to eventually make everybody a criminal.

        So they now want this category to say. DVEs Domestic Violent Extremists?!

        Wow, AOC must have stayed up all night to think of that one? I can’t wait to see the Bill and exact lega; definition of DVE.

        Maybe they won’t NEED an actual LAW? Maybe DHS will simply pull the old batfe magic trick of re-defining arbitrary and capricious whimsical clearly Unconstitutional adminstrative mandates to suit their specific purpose to ban these 3-D printers like they illegally did with raids on companies and terrorize customers who purchased Polymer 80% NON-firearms parts and pieces that are NOT-by law- EVEN remotely classified as Firearms in the first place and subjectively, and whimsically abuse their office to the extent of ‘their self-established ‘authority’ to Unconstitutionally and also illegally criminally violate (USCC 18-241-242) which specifically violates this type of agency action?!
        So how do they get away with it, Well, that’s another essay, but in a couple words, it’s because they CAN.
        And as Debbie, here, points out, It’s only because we let them. And we let them more by having the wrong idea of fighting back to protect our liberty and justice from tyranny.
        It’s a mentality thing. I’m confident that most people, again, even the dumbocrat useful idiot throw-away minions will come around in time…but Time is something a critical component in the greater schema.

        Remember, to totally disarm our populace, there’s only two ways:

        Either make a total ban of most weapons laws like Australia, and New Zealand and Canada, et al, Offer a temporary volunteer amesty/turn in/buy back, and then anyone who fails to comply defaults to being an automatic criminal with a de-facto warrant with very stiff mandatory first time punishment if caught with a firearm.

        They also just don’t wait for all the newly minted criminals to get caught in traffic stops or doing other crimes while armed, they would want to immediately begin the ‘C’ word.

        The problem is that the people in these Dictatorships in other countries do not have an American Constitutional 2ndA guaranteed uninfringable right NOT to have their Gun’s restricted in the first place by The LAW of THE LAND! And there is more than sufficient case law to guarantee that at this point so they can’t get away with those type of immediate gun control without a strong resistance that they don’t need any push back right now from to get their other mutually totalitarian projects like Alien Invasion II, and tax increases full steam ahead, and rapid economic downturn to make even more useful idots ‘beholdin’ for their food stamps and monthly chump change.
        Be aware also that many run of the mill dumbocrats who really don’t understand Communist Socialism, and really don’t comprehend the true value of a Trump MAGA resurrection and can be easily bribed with stimulus ‘beads’ and bullshit brainwashing can be ‘turned around’ at the next political move when they see first hand that it’s not only the Conservative’s shit the new government is stealing, It’s EVERYBODY’s stuff! And it ALL of OUR liberties to lose.

        The idea is to make and try to enforce so many ‘laws’ and mandates that appear to get around the 2nd/A without actually trying to ‘eliminate’ it from ur Consitution by these back door methods to eventually include AMMO restrictions (which make your guns as useless as if you’ve never had them) And prohibitively high for all but the average person and so on and so on.

        And go ahead, try to take us to the Supreme Court…

        You’re just piss-ant peons. (pronounced pee-ons) We already showed you how your ‘Supreme Court’ helps when we stole the election right out from under everybody, BWHA HA HAH!

        And all you energy-wasting Chairborne Ranger Moutholution Molon Labeyers go ahead, and keep filling out your DVE applications info–instead of becoming seriously pro-actively political and forming PACS and getting out the massive vote for the next political chess move– so ‘They’ can take you out first and show everybody-with the help of our STASI News affiliates, how much we still have to crack down on all these new DVEs?

        So They’ continue with this insanity as long as they can. At least we know they’re not hiding their true colors anymore.

        And the alphabet agencies will continue to use and abuse Administrative Mandates like Joltin’ Joe did on day one with hungry urgency with his EOs even though they are a blatant, prosecutable deprivation of our most solemn and precious rights to privacy and personal property.

        The only thing, Deb, is that I don’t think that most Americans are Spineless. Historically, We, The People, always came together, no matter what our creeds or heritage, and followed through as a whole unbeatable force of nature when the going got really, really tough…

        I’ve seen it most of my life in warfare and in the broken Justice System.

        I just think that too many of us got fat and lazy enjoying our Great American environment replete with anything we wanted, where, despite some shameful poverty and inner conflict in too many parts of the country, we still consumed our asses off and knew we had virtually unlimited access to do anything in life if we actually did some concentrated effort to attain it?

        And now we’re just a little shell shocked that we got ‘hook-nosed’ by the in-your-face threat of this unholy Communist political movement that somehow, and very unfortunately, got in power?

        So, Debbie, What state are you in? You’re a true American Hero! Have you gotten together with others yet to form a New Patriot Party PAC in your are? They are easy to start and continue support, while we wait for ‘marching orders’ and strategies from MAGA command to focus on what area campaigns are important to start to take back in only a year to help save the country from destruction?

        Remember, the Tyrannists were working on that exact 2022 midterms elections the day Trump got elected in 2016? Because they knew their government power control margin was so slim. Folks! The votes are TIE in the Senate?!

        We can easily Beat them next time. And in the mean time, support civil lawsuits against these rights violating agencies, and politically orgainize to teach your local politicians who is really in Authority in America.

        That’s what ‘they’ Really Fear.

      • You throw “racism “ around almost as much as a leftist. Nobody cares. You’re not scoring more points by painting gun control as being racist. You type like the same two or three boomer responses ad nauseam. Both the democrats and the GOP are against actual freedom loving Americans, your sell out NRA too. But you’re still a sheep buying into a two party charade when they’re both really two wings of the same bird.

        • Believe it or not, gun control has always been about race control. From the earliest laws written on this continent, blacks were targeted when laws were written. Gun laws still target blacks. Why do you think the strictest gun laws are in cities and states with the densest black populations?

          This is a moderately long read, but the time will be well spent:
          http://www.claytoncramer.com/scholarly/racistroots.htm

          Same information, in an easier to read PDF format:
          https://cavalierknight.com/pdf/Clayton.E.Cramer.pdf

          “Racist arms laws predate the establishment of the United States. Starting in 1751, the French Black Code required Louisiana colonists to stop any blacks, and if necessary, beat “any black carrying any potential weapon, such as a cane.” If a black refused to stop on demand, and was on horseback, the colonist was authorized to “shoot to kill.”[1] Slave possession of firearms was a necessity at times in a frontier society, yet laws continued to be passed in an attempt to prohibit slaves or free blacks from possessing firearms, except under very restrictively controlled conditions.[2] Similarly, in the sixteenth century the colony of New Spain, terrified of black slave revolts, prohibited all blacks, free and slave, from carrying arms.[3]”

  2. Big Brother is scared. Only those with nefarious schemes should be scared of law abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights. I remember the comment about those that do not learn from history are doomed to make the same mistakes.

  4. This all driven by gun grabbers who know nothing about manufactured guns vs homemade. There is no difference. New York wants to ban any metal that can be turned in to a gun. Well I guess graves will be difficult, since I saw a man turn a common shovel into a AKM. These people aren’t just insane, they also quite stupid. We now have a stupid puppet fake president that’s on board with this nonsense, even Obama ignored this nonsense.

    • Hadn’t heard about the banning any metal that can be turned into a gun………….guess that would remove soda tabs as well as straws. But wouldn’t be surprised if it was tried (possibly several times) as we are trying to ban body armor (again but strangely only flexible fabric vests) and limit yearly ammo purchases to 5-20 rounds (haven’t bothered to keep up with the number this year). I think fear is intermixed in the stupidity as well as a few with sabotage in mind when policy/proposals are written. Whatever the case at least the Governor’s hold on emergency powers is looking shaky.

  5. The push to decentralize firearms manufacture will continue and probably accelerate at this point. There’s enough people looking at history and looking at our government (and others) and getting nervous. The sword of technology cuts both ways and it’s possible but difficult to blunt the side of the blade you don’t want used against you.

    It’s important not only to support our rights to things like firearms but to free speech, due process and limitations around searches and seizures as well. Without those rights there’s a good chance we end up in a piss poor state. There’s far too many people in the US who think China’s hip and trendy or will bankroll them.

  6. How do they prosecute someone for downloading, or even printing gun parts? They don’t, they use illegal unconstitutional surveillance to identify people and they arrest them for that along with other crimes and make a big deal of the plastic gun thing. Weeks or months later they will drop the gun charges after they have found enough other things to put that person in prison long enough that they have no 2A rights. Remember with enough laws on the books they are likely to find something they can hang on anyone, can you prove your innocence? Because that is the new standard.

    • Or they’ll just make shit up.

      “Drop sears”, NFA charges printed on demand. Delivery guaranteed.

      The smart ones might even bother to put a file for one on your electronic wizard boxamjigger to help sell the story.

  7. thingiverse has standard cap magazines and jigs to use to manufacture ‘ghost guns’… so much for that part of the theory.

  8. Now I understand that I do not want to be caught possessing Yankee Boogle AR15 Swift-Links since I happen to own a couple AR-15’s. But as far as I know I could have the files needed to make one stored on the hard drive. Not that I would since I do not have any desire to run though my ammo any faster than I already am even if they were legal to own.
    And if I did want one I’d bend some sheet metal to make it so it would last longer.
    No printer or .stl files needed at all.

    S

  9. Ah, yes, DVEs! The newest, most pervasive and dangerousest threat humanity has ever faced.

    Thank God Homeland is keeping us safe from Q Shamans who would otherwise put on a Viking hat, take an unguided tour of Congress and overthrow our entirely competent government! I mean, praise Jesus, the Devil, Buddha and Pinocchio’s wooden cock that DHS was all over that shit, amiright?

    Otherwise Congresscritters might have cried on the TV, which is like making the Baby Jesus cry. It’s treason AND blasphamy.

    So, I for one am glad that DHS is on this. Maybe they can blow through the next $240 Trillion the government doesn’t have to make the Astarte a real thing and deploy them from a base on the moon!

    • You referring to Asherah who was supposed to be Gods wife according to some early followers? The monotheist won so she faded from history as did Adams first wife Lilith.

      • No, I’m referring to genetically engineered 7+ foot tall humans in crazy mechanized armor suits.

        AKA “Space Marines”.

        • Nah, Strych, they already ‘dissed’ the Space Force. Looks like they’re gonna blow all the ‘disposable income’ of the taxpayers on housing and guaranteed minimum income benefits for half of all South America’s inhabitants soon to be hitting the border for love of the Democratic Communist Party.

        • “…Astarte..” had to look it up.
          Thought maybe it was a SciFi book and hit the Kindle store to look. Is this correct? Horus Rising (The Horus Heresy Book 1)
          I’m up for a good space opera now after finishing a couple of WWIII novels.

        • @Manse:

          Uh, yes and no. I wasn’t aware that there are books to this.

          [Full disclosure; I’m not really all that up on the lore in this particular case because I never got into tabletop games.]

          The Astarte are from the Warhammer 40,000 universe, they’re genetically engineered to fight the enemies of humanity throughout the galaxy. They’re religious zealots that are insanely powerful, like 500 of them could wipe out a planet that was prepared to defend itself from them.

          They’re essentially the basis for the Marine and Firebat units in Starcraft except in the 40K lore they’re nearly impossible to kill, have way cooler weapons and have other abilities as well, including some of them having crazy psychic/magic powers.

          And yes, the Horus uprising is a big part of the 40K lore about how and why the Astarte are what they are and how they function as units in 40K lore. Beyond that I can’t comment much on it since it’s not exactly my forte and I’m not going to read 50 pages of condensed lore to figure that out.

          However, they have some really cool guns too. Like a version of the Gyrojet… but bigger, on steroids, crack and PCP and full auto.

          If you just want a video of them fucking shit up:

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVXEYksoE6c

    • Thanks for the laugh Strych9, though I almost want to cry because of what these Demonists are doing to the country, may they rot in Hell (and soon).

  11. Anyone who doesn’t think they aren’t gonna make a serious gun-grab is a fool, at this point.

    (If Pinocchio has a wooden cock, does that make him a bona-fide ‘Wood-Pecker’? Samuel, your, er, ‘thoughts’? 😉 )

  12. “(If Pinocchio has a wooden cock, does that make him a bona-fide ‘Wood-Pecker’? Samuel, your, er, ‘thoughts’? 😉 )”

    Not qualified to speculate. Wood need to talk to Bob, from the old Cialis commercials.

  13. “AKA “Space Marines”.”

    Whose life, legend and history are recorded in the official record of Starship Troopers.

  14. “The idea is to make and try to enforce so many ‘laws’ and mandates that appear to get around the 2nd/A Constitution .”

    The nation has been here before.

  15. “No, those guys and gals are weaksauce in comparison.”

    As I just learned reading your comment about the Astarte.

  16. LOT OF PRO AND CON’S MAKING YOUR OWN WEAPONS .
    MADED MY OWN KNIFE 40 YEARS AGO . LEASE CAN SAY MADED IN AMERICA .
    THINK THINGS LIKE GRIP AND STOCKS SHOULD NOT MATTER .

  17. The revolt of slaves in Haiti (1791-1804) was an object lesson about armed slaves; One of Napoleon Bonaparte’s armies were fought to a standstill, and later a British force. Can there be any doubt that American slave owners were determined to keep their slaves helpless? Haitian independence from the two great European nations proved the effectiveness of armed citizens, and the need for the ruling class to tightly control who was allowed firearms.

  20. I can design damn near anything with a pencil, ruler set, compass, and French curve. Sam Colt, John Moses Browning, Hiram Maxim, and Gaston Glock did exactly that.

    You can cater any design to standard sizes of bar and sheet stock, and large diameter bolts make great barrel steel. Semi Autos are easy to make with a cheap welder, and open bolt submachine guns are even simpler.

    You cannot stop the signal!

  22. Silly boys and girls. Laws only apply to you, not them. They will conjure up laws and interpretations for their own pleasure……and your control.

    Interesting article in current RECOIL magazine on how to make double barrel……ala Sleazy, Creepy, Senile Ole Joe Blaster……shotgun from hardware store odds and ends. Bring back the 50’s zip guns.

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