Shusterman to introduce bill to crack down on 3D printed guns

Rep. Morgan B. Cephas    December 18, 2024 | 11:54 AM

HARRISBURG, Dec. 18 – State Rep. Melissa Shusterman, D-Chester, is introducing a bill to regulate the use of 3D-printed firearms, which are a form of “ghost guns,” to the state legislature in the upcoming session season.

3D-printed firearms are not regulated in Pennsylvania. These guns and their parts lack identifying features, such as serial numbers, which are commonly found on regularly manufactured firearms. This makes 3D-printed guns and parts difficult to trace when found at a crime scene.

Ghost gun use is on the rise both in the commonwealth and around the country. The federal bureau of Alcohol Tabacco and Firearms reports that from 2018 to 2021 there was a 1,000% increase in local law enforcement reporting of ghost guns to the ATF. The Pennsylvania State Police report that the number of ghost guns seized by state and local police within the commonwealth doubled from 2022 to 2023.

Shusterman’s legislation would treat 3D-printed firearms as standard firearms under Pennsylvania’s laws and regulations. Additionally, Shusterman’s legislation would prohibit anyone from printing a firearm without a proper gun manufacturing license from the federal government.

"3D-Printed guns shoot like a gun and they can kill like a gun," Shusterman said. “It’s common sense we should regulate them like guns. 3D-printed guns should not be exempt from the laws and regulations governing their manufacture, sale and use. We’re seeing the criminal use of ghost guns rise at an alarming rate. To aid law enforcement efforts to crack down on untraceable guns, our laws must apply to 3D-printed firearms. My legislation will give law enforcement one of the tools they need to protect themselves, and our communities, from gun violence.”

State Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Philadelphia, introduced H.B. 777 last year, which would ban the sale of individual parts or “kits” of ghost guns. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support and then sat in the state Senate Judiciary Committee since April 12, 2024 and received no further action, leading to its expiration at the end of the 2023-2024 legislative session.

“Staying a step ahead of technology is always a challenge, but we are losing that battle every day that we don’t have regulations on the 3D printing of firearms,” Cephas said. “Not only are they dangerous because they are untraceable “ghost guns,” which the House voted to outlaw last year, but they are also undetectable by standard security measures. Law enforcement officials need these tools to be able to protect our communities across the state from deadly firearms ending up in the wrong hands. I support Rep. Shusterman’s legislation to treat 3D-printed guns as any other firearm under our current laws and renew support for my correlated legislation that would make these guns illegal to create, sell and possess.”