The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the county by the gun-control legal advocacy group Giffords Law Center, alleges the "Coast Runner" CNC machine, marketed by Coast Runner Industries, Inc., is simply a rebrand of the "Ghost Gunner" CNC machine previously developed and marketed by Defense Distributed and Ghost Gunner Inc.

Gun rights activist and technologist Cody Wilson has been working for years against gun control efforts by expanding access to the tools necessary to produce firearms at home. He has used his non-profit, Defense Distributed, as a platform to pioneer technological advancements in the manufacture of firearms using both 3D-printing and CNC technology.

Individuals are not prohibited under federal rules and regulations from producing firearms for their personal use, but gun control proponents in several states have sought to prevent the proliferation of unserialized privately-made firearms, which they've referred to as "ghost guns."

While gun control advocates have attempted to stop the spread of "ghost guns," Mr. Wilson and Defense Distributed have worked to ensure home manufacturing of firearms remains accessible with the development of its "Ghost Gunner" line of CNC machines.

California Law and CNC Machines

In 2022, the Democrat-supermajority California legislature passed legislation that makes it unlawful to sell or transfer any "CNC milling machine that has the sole or primary function of manufacturing firearms to any person in this state, other than a federally licensed firearms manufacturer or importer."

Following the passage of the 2022 law, the Ghost Gunner sales website states, "Ghost Gunner CNC machines are not currently available to non-FFL California customers." But after Defense Distributed and Ghost Gunner restricted sales of its machines in California, a new company called Coast Runner emerged, marketing a similar CNC machine.

The new lawsuit names Coast Runner Industries Inc., Ghost Runner Inc., and Defense Distributed as defendants.