Senator Markey [Dumb@ss-MA] filed a bill earlier this year. I missed it until now: S.1819 – 3D Printed Gun Safety Act of 2023.

This bill purports to ban the distribution of 3D-printer files used to build firearms.

Purports.

“(aa) It shall be unlawful for any person to intentionally distribute, over the internet or by means of the World Wide Web, digital instructions in the form of Computer Aided Design files or other code that can automatically program a 3-dimensional printer or similar device to produce a firearm or complete a firearm…

Now if he’d just left it at that, he’d merely be a constitutional idiot. But let’s look at the rest of that sentence

to produce a firearm or complete a firearm from an unfinished frame or receiver.”.

Yes, Markey still thinks 3D additive manufacturing printers start with unfinished frame/receivers.

Still? Perhaps you’ve gotten a sense of deja vu. Markey rode this short bus two years ago.

“(aa) It shall be unlawful for any person to intentionally distribute, over the internet or by means of the World Wide Web, digital instructions in the form of Computer Aided Design files or other code that can automatically program a 3-dimensional printer or similar device to produce a firearm or complete a firearm from an unfinished frame or receiver.”.

Look familiar? Two years on, and he still can’t figure out the difference between additive 3D-printing and subtractive CNC machining (like a Ghost Gunner mill that does complete unfinished frames/receivers).

Or maybe it’s idiocy with a large dose of insanity.

You know, if Markey — his staffers, rather — followed opposition sites like The Zelman Partisans perhaps he’d figure out just why his bill cannot do what it purports, even if it magically passed into law. But I give this attempt no better odds than S. 2319, which whimpered and died in committee.

And yes, I still giggle at this part.

over the internet or by means of the World Wide Web

I still haven’t found a “World Wide Web” that does not operate over the Internet.