Adafruit pushes back against NY state’s sweeping ban on 3D printing guns — suggests amendments to ‘preserve the public safety goal without breaking education, open hardware, or small manufacturers’

Adafruit is challenging New York's proposed legislation that aims to prevent 3D-printed guns by placing responsibility on 3D printer manufacturers and criminalizing the sharing of gun-related 3D files. The company argues that surveillance on maker tools is not the solution, proposing amendments to the bill to protect education, open hardware, and small manufacturers. Adafruit suggests focusing on intent rather than the tool, dropping mandatory file scanning, exempting open-source and offline toolchains, limiting liability, adding oversight to the working group, and requiring a technical feasibility assessment. The company warns that the bill's approach could lead to false positives and negatives, making it challenging for makers.