Res 0866-2019

By Council Members Miller, Rosenthal, Richards, the Public Advocate (Mr. Williams), Ayala and Rivera Whereas, 3-D printed firearms are unlicensed, untraceable, and can be undetectable as they are typically made of plastic; and Whereas, While the United States Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 requires guns to be detectable by metal screening machines, it does not require firearms to have a major component made of metal; and Whereas, Several 3-D firearms bypass metal detection as they are designed to only include a removable metal block that is not necessary for its functionality; and Whereas, According to experts, 3-D printed guns tend to fail, jam, and explode at higher rates than regular firearms, presenting a significantly higher danger to users and bystanders than a firearm made through regular production means; and Whereas, As 3-D printers have become more accessible and widespread, the dangers posed by 3-D firearms is growing rapidly; and Whereas, In August 2018, Judge Robert S. Lasnik of the United States District Court issued a temporary nationwide injunction barring the online publication of a 3-D gun blueprint and design; and Whereas, Law enforcement and gun control activists have raised concerns about 3-D printed firearms, as they allow criminals to bypass background checks and ignore gun licensing laws that require unique serial numbers; and Whereas, New York City has already seen the problems posed by these guns; and Whereas, In September 2018, a puppet specialist for a Broadway musical was arrested and charged with manufacturing a 3-D printed gun in the play's prop room using designs he found online; and Whereas, "Ghost Guns" are firearms made from incomplete gun frames or lower receivers that can be legally purchased without a license and transformed into an operable firearm using tools available in most hardware stores; and Whereas, Under federal law, completed lower receivers are considered firearms, however incomplete lower receivers are unregulated; and Whereas, Ghost guns present similar dangers as 3-D guns as they too can go undetected; and Whereas, The 3-D Firearms Prohibition Act, previously sponsored by United States Representative Frank Joseph Pallone Jr., would prohibit the sale, acquisition, distribution in commerce, or import of "do-it yourself" firearm parts and kits, the marketing of such kits, and would require homemade firearms to have serial numbers; and Whereas, Pursuant to the 3-D Firearms Prohibition Act, firearm receiver casting, blanks, and unfinished handgun frames would be considered banned hazardous products under the Consumer Product Safety Act; and Whereas, Pursuant to the 3-D Firearms Prohibition Act, the advertising of marketing of on any medium, including the Internet, for the sale of do-it yourself assault weapons parts or kits would be unlawful; and Whereas, Further, the 3-D Firearms Prohibition Act would require the attainment of a serial number and identifying mark for a firearm prior to making it; and Whereas, The manufacturing and possession of 3-D printed firearms and Ghost Guns should be banned as they present serious safety hazardous to New Yorkers and the rest of the nation; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the United States Congress to re-introduce and pass, and the President to sign, the 3-D Firearms Prohibition Act. LS 8982 CMA