Despite politicians lining up to regulate 3D printed guns, and a new directive from the U.S. State Department arguing that disseminating 3D files for such weapons may violate weapons export rules, some think that it may all be much ado about nothing.

 

On Thursday, Forbes reported, the State Department demanded that Defense Distributed, a nonprofit dedicated to creating 3D printed guns, take down a set of files that theoretically enable anyone to print their own firearm.

 

"The government says it wants to review the files for compliance with arms export control laws known as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations," Forbes wrote. "By uploading the weapons files to the Internet and allowing them to be downloaded abroad, the letter implies [Defense Distributed] may have violated those export controls."

 

That federal government action came a day after Democratic California state Sen. Leland Yee introduced legislation that would ban the technology used to create 3D printed guns, and earlier action by Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) that sought to restrict the manufacture of such weapons.