OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced plans Monday to file another lawsuit against the Trump administration.
The AG's office wants to stop a Texas gun designer from posting plans online that show people how to make guns on 3D printers.
Ferguson is blaming the Trump administration for giving dangerous people access to guns.
Washington State's lawsuit comes after the federal government reached an agreement with a Texas-based gun designer that would allow plans to make 3D printable guns to be posted online starting this Wednesday.
The guns produced on 3D printers are made almost entirely out of ABS plastic, the same material used to make Lego bricks.
A retired Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives agent told CBS News that the guns are unregulated and untraceable and a threat to public safety.
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In 2013, the designer, Cody Wilson, who is also a gun activist, posted the plans online, only to have the government tell him to take them down, arguing the plans could violate international traffic in arms regulations.
He listened but sued the government, citing free speech rights.
A settlement was recently reached, allowing Wilson to legally repost his blueprints for anyone on the internet to download.
One gun hobbyist said concerns are overblown.
“For people who think you can download and just print a firearm is possible, but it is not that simple. It takes a fair bit of work to get something to be functional,” said Mike Crumling.
With this lawsuit, the state AG's office wants a nationwide halt to the plans going online.
Late Sunday, Pennsylvania state officials successfully stopped the plans from being available in that state after taking legal action, but revealed the files had actually been up Friday and downloaded by 1,000 people.
Ferguson held a news conference at 11 a.m. to talk about the lawsuit.