WASHINGTON STATE — Lawmakers on Monday passed a bill through the House aiming to regulate the market of untraceable firearms, commonly known as ‘ghost guns.’
House Bill 2320 seeks to ban the creation, assembly or facilitation of ghost guns through 3D printing and CNC milling. It would also make it illegal to possess, sell or distribute digital codes or files that program machines to manufacture guns or essential parts.
The bill outlines penalties for these offenses, particularly targeting repeat offenders who could face misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor charges. Additionally, it clarifies that gun frames and receivers cannot be manufactured using digital technology unless federally licensed.
Representative Osman Salahuddin from Redmond highlighted the ease of creating untraceable firearms with current technology.
“Today, a 3D printer that can cost a few hundred dollars and a downloadable digital file can print an untraceable firearm. No background check, no serial codes, no accountability. This threat is not theoretical,” Salahuddin said.
Representative Jim Walsh from Aberdeen expressed concerns regarding fundamental rights, including “the foundational right to express yourself with speech, either verbal or written, and your foundational right, to protect yourself and the state, an essential to what it means to be an American and a Washingtonian.”
Advocates of the bill argue that prior ghost gun legislation did not clearly define or regulate digital blueprints or code used to program machines for gun manufacturing. The previous law also did not address modern technologies like CNC milling machines.
An early concern was the potential for banning 3D printers or CNC machines entirely, but the bill does not go that far. The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
