New York Senate Bill S00227

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/8/25
• Refer: 1/8/25

Caption

Relates to the regulation of three-dimensional printed firearms; provides that a person who intentionally sells, distributes, or disposes of a three-dimensional printed firearm is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

Summary

This bill amends New York’s Penal Law and Criminal Procedure Law to address the manufacture and distribution of firearms-related items using three-dimensional printing technology. It expands the existing prohibition on manufacturing certain weapons and weapon components to include the intentional sale, distribution, or disposal of digital instructions—such as CAD files, STL files, or other code—that can be used to program a 3D printer to produce machine guns, assault weapons, large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, ghost guns, unfinished frames or receivers, firearm silencers, rapid-fire modification devices, magazines, and major firearm components. The bill also defines “three-dimensional printer” in statute and adds the new offense to the list of crimes subject to wiretap authorization under the Criminal Procedure Law. The measure would take effect 60 days after becoming law and includes a severability clause to preserve the rest of the law if any part is invalidated.

Impact

The bill would broaden New York’s firearms enforcement framework by explicitly regulating digital files and instructions used to produce prohibited weapons or weapon parts through 3D printing. It creates a class A misdemeanor for knowingly distributing those instructions to a person in New York who is not registered or licensed as a gunsmith with a Type 7 Federal Firearms License, while leaving the existing felony and misdemeanor penalties for manufacturing prohibited weapons in place. It also updates criminal procedure law to allow investigation of the new offense under the wiretap statute.

Sentiment

Based on the bill’s text and caption, the measure appears to be framed as a public-safety and gun-control bill aimed at closing a loophole in the regulation of ghost guns and 3D-printed firearms. There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history provided, so no formal legislative debate or roll-call sentiment is available. The overall posture of the bill suggests support from sponsors concerned with preventing untraceable weapons from being made or distributed through digital means.

Contention

The likely point of contention is the bill’s regulation of digital speech and online distribution of design files, since it reaches beyond physical firearms to computer code and instructions that can be shared over the internet. Supporters would likely emphasize preventing the spread of instructions for illegal or untraceable weapons, while critics may argue the bill could raise First Amendment, overbreadth, or enforcement concerns, especially where files may have lawful uses or where the recipient’s status is difficult to verify. Another possible issue is the scope of the ban, which covers a wide range of weapon types and components.