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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Trump deal to share 3D-printed gun blueprints online ruled 'unlawful' [theverge.com]

A federal judge has struck down [wa.gov] a decision by the Trump administration to allow blueprints for 3D-printed guns to be shared online.

In a ruling [amazonaws.com] published Tuesday, Judge Robert Lasnik said the deal made in July last year [theguardian.com] was "arbitrary and capricious" and thus a violation of the federal Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution.

The original deal was part of a settlement between the Justice Department and Texas-based nonprofit Defense Distributed, which garnered worldwide attention in 2013 [theverge.com] with its claims to have created the world's first "100 percent 3D-printed gun." The dissemination of plans for the gun was blocked [theweek.com] by the Obama administration, but last year Defense Distributed successfully sued the government and had the ban reversed, arguing that it was a free speech violation.

[...] Bloomberg notes that the decision may still have limitations, given that Defense Distributed worked around a previous, temporary [theverge.com] ban on downloading plans by simply mailing blueprints directly to customers. Said [spokesperson Chad] Flores: "The speech these states want so badly to censor is already on the internet and always will be."

Also at Bloomberg [bloomberg.com], NYT [nytimes.com], and CBS [cbsnews.com].

Previously: Landmark Legal Shift for 3D-Printed Guns [soylentnews.org]
[Updated] Defense Distributed Releasing Gun Plans, President Trump "Looking Into" It [soylentnews.org]
Federal Judge Imposes Preliminary Injunction Against Defense Distributed's DEFCAD [soylentnews.org]

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