3D Printing Restrictions/Laws

[Conrad Hoffman]

This stuff looks like it's almost a done deal in New York State (USA)- https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/stop-new-yorks-attack-3d-printing

[booscrawl]

Engineers are notorious for thinking political changes don't apply to them. See: Operation Paperclip.

There is already a thread here.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/handcuffs-on-3d-printers-censorship-of-cad-au-(sa)-usa-(ca-co-wa-ny-il)/

[Randy222]

This stuff looks like it's almost a done deal in New York State (USA)- https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/stop-new-yorks-attack-3d-printing

Buy one just over the border, or use a proxy shipping service.

Dumb people write dumb laws, it has never once been any other way.

[lichurbagan]

This stuff looks like it's almost a done deal in New York State (USA)- https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/stop-new-yorks-attack-3d-printing

What is the definition of 'forbidden design' that is mentioned in the article. Would somebody enlighten me please?

[thm_w]

What is the definition of 'forbidden design' that is mentioned in the article. Would somebody enlighten me please?

Sure

Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any machine-gun, ghost gun, unfinished frame or receiver, firearm
major component of a firearm, assault weapon, large capacity ammunition feeding device or disguised gun is guilty of a class D felony.
Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any rapid-fire modification device is guilty of a class E felony.
Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any switchblade knife, pilum ballistic knife, metal knuckle knife, undetectable knife, billy, blackjack, bludgeon, plastic knuckles, metal knuckles, throwing star, chuka stick, sandbag, sandclub or slungshot is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

https://www.nyassembly.gov/2026budget/2026_bills/enacted/A10005c.pdf

[booscrawl]

I can't believe they made manufacturing sandbags a misdemeanor. Don't they know about flood protection?

[Psi]

I can't believe they made manufacturing sandbags a misdemeanor. Don't they know about flood protection?

I think they're probably referring to the type of sandbags you put under the end of a rifle and squeeze to very accurately raise/lower the aim while looking through a scope.
I cant imagine a large flood sandbag coming under this law.

But yes, I agree, the whole concept is moronic.
I'm glad I live somewhere that you can somewhat trust the government to do things that make sense in some reasonable way.

[booscrawl]

But yes, I agree, the whole concept is moronic.
I'm glad I live somewhere that you can somewhat trust the government to do things that make sense in some reasonable way.

I feel like fewer Aussies would die to dropbear attacks if they were allowed to legally pocket a weapon of choice, but what do I know 

[wilfred]

As a kid Shintaro the Samurai was a dubbed TV show from Japan and it was all the rage with kids at the time and did slow motion jumps from buildings 10 years before the Six Million Dollar Man did the same. But the Ninja throwing stars enjoyed a resurgence in high school metal-working class when we would cut stars out of sheet metal scraps and without really thinking it through we would embed them in the workshop ceiling whilst the teacher was out of the room. We had no way of getting them down although life on the edge was waiting for the occasional one to fall.

https://youtu.be/B-aE_5bL3CM?si=8pRDFJibRF7iXBW7&t=1163  Just in case you don't get the reference.

It got the whole class detention but it wasn't a felony.

[Psi]

But yes, I agree, the whole concept is moronic.
I'm glad I live somewhere that you can somewhat trust the government to do things that make sense in some reasonable way.

I feel like fewer Aussies would die to dropbear attacks if they were allowed to legally pocket a weapon of choice, but what do I know 

You committed the cardinal sin of mixing up New Zealand with Australia

[lichurbagan]

What is the definition of 'forbidden design' that is mentioned in the article. Would somebody enlighten me please?

Sure

Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any machine-gun, ghost gun, unfinished frame or receiver, firearm
major component of a firearm, assault weapon, large capacity ammunition feeding device or disguised gun is guilty of a class D felony.
Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any rapid-fire modification device is guilty of a class E felony.
Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any switchblade knife, pilum ballistic knife, metal knuckle knife, undetectable knife, billy, blackjack, bludgeon, plastic knuckles, metal knuckles, throwing star, chuka stick, sandbag, sandclub or slungshot is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

https://www.nyassembly.gov/2026budget/2026_bills/enacted/A10005c.pdf

Thank you. Yeah. That means only dangerous objects are forbidden. This is rational of course.

[negativ3]

This stuff looks like it's almost a done deal in New York State (USA)- https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/stop-new-yorks-attack-3d-printing

What is the definition of 'forbidden design' that is mentioned in the article. Would somebody enlighten me please?

A set of rules which may change at the drop of a hat.

[booscrawl]

It's actually worse. A forbidden design is anything a piece of AI slop vaporware from an incompetent Spanish company classifies as weapons through a "sophisticated and subtle process or something".

https://blog.adafruit.com/2026/02/08/any-user-who-has-a-3d-printer-would-have-this-software-installed-printgos-plan-to-become-the-drm-of-3d-printing/

[abeyer]

You committed the cardinal sin of mixing up New Zealand with Australia

You assume a hungry dropbear can't swim a few thousand kilometers to eat a tasty New Zealander.

[Randy222]

Thank you. Yeah. That means only dangerous objects are forbidden. This is rational of course.

I keep thinking that my manual #2 pencil sharpener may some day land me in jail in the UK.

[lichurbagan]

Thank you. Yeah. That means only dangerous objects are forbidden. This is rational of course.

I keep thinking that my manual #2 pencil sharpener may some day land me in jail in the UK.

Why? It's just a pencil sharpener. Nothing dangerous.

[CatalinaWOW]

What is the definition of 'forbidden design' that is mentioned in the article. Would somebody enlighten me please?

Sure

Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any machine-gun, ghost gun, unfinished frame or receiver, firearm
major component of a firearm, assault weapon, large capacity ammunition feeding device or disguised gun is guilty of a class D felony.
Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any rapid-fire modification device is guilty of a class E felony.
Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any switchblade knife, pilum ballistic knife, metal knuckle knife, undetectable knife, billy, blackjack, bludgeon, plastic knuckles, metal knuckles, throwing star, chuka stick, sandbag, sandclub or slungshot is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

https://www.nyassembly.gov/2026budget/2026_bills/enacted/A10005c.pdf

Thank you. Yeah. That means only dangerous objects are forbidden. This is rational of course.

Note that as quoted this law does not allow for license manufacture of items on this list.  Hence police departments cannot be supplied.  Note also that every kid with a forked stick and an inner tube (or even a rubber band) is now the outlaw that they imagine themselves to be.  And the list omits atlatls, crossbows, slings, javelins and a huge list of not just dangerous items, but dangerous items that are designed as weapons.

Clearly the result of a group of lawmakers after a three martini lunch and needing a bit of performative art.

[Brumby]

It's like all they have to do is make a law against murder and that will make sure nobody will ever be killed again.. 


Oh, wait .... they have.

And it didn't.   

[Brumby]

I feel like fewer Aussies would die to dropbear attacks if they were allowed to legally pocket a weapon of choice, but what do I know 

You committed the cardinal sin of mixing up New Zealand with Australia

I noticed that.  Nearly all Aussies and Kiwis will.  (Only those that don't have basic observational skills will miss it.) The detail is in the number and colour of the stars.

Aussies and Kiwis get on pretty well - but we each have our own identity.

[Randy222]

Thank you. Yeah. That means only dangerous objects are forbidden. This is rational of course.

I keep thinking that my manual #2 pencil sharpener may some day land me in jail in the UK.

Why? It's just a pencil sharpener. Nothing dangerous.

I guess that's subjective.

[EPAIII]

Such laws are, for the most part, ultimately nu-constitutional. The trouble is, you are going to need to spend a lot of time and money fighting them. And then, they will just write another one that is worded just a bit differently and the whole process starts over again.