The city of Philadelphia has banned 3D printed guns, the first US jurisdiction to do so.
The department city councilman and sponsor of the bill, Kenyatta Johnson, said the move was “pre-emptive” and “based on Internet stuff out there.”
The 10-member City Council announced last week that it had voted to block the use of “a three-dimensional printer to create any firearm, or any piece or part thereof, unless [its owner] possesses a license to manufacture firearms under federal law.”
The bill to outlaw the weapons comes in the wake of no fewer than 300 murders in Philadelphia annually since 2004.
The State of California, New York City and Washington DC have all suggested that officials adopt legislation to limit the scope of 3D printers; and rule that any individual wishing to make a gun must go through a background check.
For more on 3D printing, see Netopia’s first English-language report: 3D Printing: Technology and Beyond.
