3D Printed Guns

Last reviewed November 1, 2026

3D Printed Guns: Where It Stands in 2026

Federal law does not ban 3D-printed firearms. An unlicensed person may make a gun for personal use, not for sale, as long as they are not prohibited from owning firearms and the gun complies with the National Firearms Act and the Undetectable Firearms Act, which requires enough metal to be detected and is extended to March 8, 2031. ATF’s Frame or Receiver rule, upheld against a facial challenge in Bondi v. VanDerStok (March 26, 2025), governs how commercially sold unfinished frames and kits are treated, and a printed frame that functions as a frame or receiver is a “firearm” under federal law.

This map has friends. Lots of friends. Meet the State Gun Law Maps

How this map is researched, from statute to state note: How We Research.

The real action in 2026 is in the states, where lawmakers have moved from regulating guns to regulating code and printers. On May 27, 2026, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a budget bill (A10005c) that bans distributing or selling digital firearm design files, bans possessing them with intent to make firearms unless licensed, and orders that 3D printers sold in the state eventually include technology to block printing of frames and receivers. That printer mandate does not take effect until a state working group finds it feasible, and reporting put the earliest date at 2029. Washington enacted a law in March 2026 banning the use of 3D printers and CNC machines to make firearms and restricting distribution of related code. California is considering a similar printer bill (AB 2047).

Gun-rights and civil-liberties groups have challenged this approach. The NRA argues these laws restrict law-abiding Americans’ constitutionally protected activity, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation has warned that printer-blocking algorithms would censor lawful designs and threaten privacy. Restrictions on sharing code also raise First Amendment questions that courts have not finally resolved.

Key Facts

• Federal law: Personal manufacture is lawful for non-prohibited persons; every firearm must meet the Undetectable Firearms Act standard (18 U.S.C. 922(p)).
• March 26, 2025: Bondi v. VanDerStok upholds ATF’s Frame or Receiver rule against a facial challenge (7-2).
• June 2025: Federal 3D-Printed Gun Safety Act introduced in the House and Senate to bar online distribution of printable gun files; it has not been enacted.
• March 2026: Washington enacts restrictions on 3D-printed and CNC-made firearms and related code.
• May 27, 2026: New York enacts a ban on distributing digital gun files and a contingent printer-blocking mandate.
• June 2026: Everytown counted 11 states that generally prohibit 3D-printed guns and six more that require serial numbers (an advocacy count; check current state law).
• New Jersey: Criminalizes distributing digital firearm code; a Third Circuit challenge was dismissed on procedural grounds in January 2026.

What Gun Owners Should Know

• Check your state and city law before making any firearm. A growing number of states ban unserialized guns, require serial numbers from the state, or criminalize possessing design files.
• Prohibited persons may not make or possess firearms by any method.
• Making a gun to sell without a manufacturer’s license, or making an SBR, suppressor or machine gun outside the law, is a federal crime.
• Keep records showing when a firearm was made and, where your state requires it, how it was serialized or registered.
• Related pages: Ghost Guns, 80% Firearm Kits and Court Cases. Questions can go to Ask Gun Questions.com.

Sources

• The Reload: New York Bans Digital Gun Files, Aims at 3D Printers (May 28, 2026)
• AP via NY1: New York Law Seeks to Block 3D-Printed Guns (June 13, 2026)
• CRS: Supreme Court Upholds ATF “Ghost Gun” Regulation in Bondi v. VanDerStok
• 18 U.S.C. 922 (Cornell LII)

Background and Resources

This 2021 map was not 3D printed. It was hand-assembled by humans, one stubborn state border at a time.