NEW YORK SHUTS DOWN THE ‘PLASTIC PIPELINE’: Governor Hochul and Lawmakers Pass Nation-Leading Measures to Stop the Spread of DIY Machine Guns and 3D-Printed Firearms in FY27 Budget

New York Becomes First State to Require 3-D Printers be Equipped with Technology to Block the Production of Illegal Ghost Guns

ALBANY, N.Y. - Today, Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots network, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, released the following statements celebrating the inclusion of landmark gun safety legislation in the final enacted New York FY27 budget. By addressing the "Plastic Pipeline" head-on, New York is on track to become the second state in the nation to pass comprehensive legislation targeting DIY machine guns and the first to establish rigorous safety standards for 3D printers to prevent the printing of illegal guns and gun parts. These proposals will become law thanks to the leadership of Governor Kathy Hochul, Speaker Carl Heastie, Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and other champions in the state Legislature.

"Criminals are always looking for an edge, so it's no surprise that 3D-printed guns and do-it-yourself machine guns are increasingly turning up at New York crime scenes," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. "With this legislation, Governor Hochul and Albany lawmakers are addressing these emerging threats head-on, and cementing New York's place as a national leader on gun safety."

"No one should be allowed to use everyday technology to make deadly weapons that shatter communities," said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. "Our movement is proud that New York is refusing to sit back and watch the gun industry exploit dangerous gaps in the law. We're grateful to the leaders in Albany who listened to survivors, advocates, and public safety experts and took action to shut down this deadly pipeline."

"In 2019, my life was forever altered when a student walked into my high school armed with a ghost gun and shot me and four others, killing my best friend," said Mia Tretta, a gun violence survivor and Students Demand Action volunteer. "I carry that trauma with me every day, but today, Governor Hochul and our lawmakers are ensuring that as technology changes, our safety doesn't get left behind. Today, gun sense champions are stopping illegal guns at their source, whether that source is a gun manufacturer or a 3D printer in a living room, to ensure that 'ghost guns' have no place in the state of New York, and so that no other student ever has to experience what I did."

"For too long, the gun industry has looked the other way while their products were easily modified into weapons of war, putting our families and communities at risk," said Janet Goldstein, a volunteer with the New York chapter of Moms Demand Action. "Public safety must come before the profits of the 'Plastic Pipeline,' and this budget is a testament to the power of the gun safety movement and the leadership in our state. I am proud to be a New Yorker today knowing that Governor Hochul and our legislative champions will do what it takes to keep us safe."

The budget includes provisions in Part C of the Public Protection and General Government Bill, originally introduced as a standalone bill by Senator Zellnor Myrie and Assemblymember Michaelle Solages (S.399-B / A.199-B), that require new handguns sold in New York to be designed in a way that prevents easy conversion into machine guns. Additionally, the legislation sets first-in-the-nation safety standards by requiring 3D printers sold in the state to be equipped with software that can block the production of firearms and gun parts such as machine gun conversion devices.

DIY machine guns are pistols that are easily converted into illegal, fully automatic machine guns using a small, Lego-sized "switch." These weapons can fire at a rate of up to 1,200 rounds per minute-20 rounds a second. ATF data shows that recoveries of these conversion devices surged 784% between 2019 and 2023. In recent years, law enforcement in Albany, Buffalo, and Syracuse has all seen a sharp rise in switches turning up at crime scenes.

And as technology is rapidly developing, the 'ghost gun' threat is too. By bypassing traditional background checks with the simple click of a 'print' button, 3D-printed firearms and gun parts are putting the safety of communities across New York at risk. Several criminal rings have been busted in New York City recently involving people who were trafficking 3D-printed ghost guns and switches. In 2022, the NYPD recovered nearly 600 ghost guns, only four of which were 3D-printed. By 2024, nearly a quarter of the ghost guns that the NYPD recovered were 3D-printed.

The new legislation prohibits the sale of pistols designed in a way that allows them to be readily converted into machine guns using common household tools. New York joins California in the growing movement to hold the gun industry accountable for convertible designs, further solidifying its position as a national leader in gun violence prevention. It also established a task force to implement safety standards for 3D printers, including software to recognize and block illegal firearm files, setting a national precedent for technology safeguards.

A poll, conducted by SurveyUSA earlier this year, found that 74% of New Yorkers support requiring 3D printers to be equipped with software that blocks the illegal printing of firearms. 75% of voters support requiring gun manufacturers to design their pistols so they cannot be easily converted into fully automatic weapons.
New York ranks fourth in the nation for gun safety laws. In an average year in New York, 1,003 people die by guns, and 2,841 are wounded. Gun violence costs New York $11.4 billion each year, of which $301.2 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in New York is available here.