3D printer blocking tech.

AN ACT Relating to preventing the unlawful manufacturing of 1
firearms by requiring three-dimensional printers be equipped with 2
certain blocking technologies; adding a new chapter to Title 19 RCW; 3
and prescribing penalties. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The definitions in this section apply 6
throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires 7
otherwise.8
(1) "Attorney general" includes the attorney general and his or 9
her designees. 10
(2) "Equipped with blocking features" means a three-dimensional 11
printer has integrated a software controls process that deploys a 12
firearms blueprint detection algorithm, such that those features 13
identify and reject print requests for firearms or illegal firearm 14
parts with a high degree of reliability and cannot be overridden or 15
otherwise defeated by a user with significant technical skill.16
(3) "Firearm" has the same meaning as in RCW 9.41.010.17
(4) "Firearms blueprint detection algorithm" means a software 18
service that evaluates three-dimensional printing files, whether in 19
the form of stereolithography (STL) files or other computer-aided 20
design files or geometric code, to determine if they can be used to 21
H-2756.1
HOUSE BILL 2321
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Salahuddin, Peterson, Berry, Taylor, Farivar,
Reed, Ramel, Santos, Obras, Fitzgibbon, Leavitt, Nance, Callan,
Kloba, Thomas, Ryu, Doglio, Gregerson, Ormsby, Berg, Reeves, Macri,
Fosse, Bergquist, Hill, and Pollet
Prefiled 01/08/26. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Civil Rights & Judiciary.
p. 1 HB 2321
program a three-dimensional printer to produce a firearm or illegal 1
firearm parts, and flag any such files to prevent their use to 2
manufacture said firearm or illegal firearm parts. 3
(5) "Illegal firearm parts" means an unfinished frame or 4
receiver, as that term is defined in RCW 9.41.010, or any part 5
designed and intended solely and exclusively for use in converting a 6
weapon into a machine gun, as that term is defined in RCW 9.41.010.7
(6) "Software controls process" means a system designed to stop a 8
three-dimensional printer from initiating any print job unless the 9
underlying three-dimensional printing file has been evaluated by a 10
firearms blueprints detection algorithm and determined not to be a 11
printing file that would produce a firearm or illegal firearm parts.12
(7) "Three-dimensional printer" means (a) any machine capable of 13
rendering a three-dimensional object from a digital design file using 14
additive manufacturing or (b) any machine capable of making three-15
dimensional modifications to an object from a digital design file 16
using subtractive manufacturing. 17
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. This chapter applies to persons that 18
conduct business in Washington or produce products or services that 19
are sold or otherwise transferred to residents of Washington.20
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) After July 1, 2027, no person who 21
manufactures, wholesales, or sells any three-dimensional printer may 22
sell or otherwise transfer for consideration a three-dimensional 23
printer in this state unless:24
(a) The three-dimensional printer is equipped with blocking 25
features that prevent the printer from printing firearms and illegal 26
firearm parts; and 27
(b) The manufacturer of the printer has attested to the 28
integration of blocking features pursuant to subsection (2) of this 29
section. Blocking features must meet or exceed the standards provided 30
in sections 6 and 7 of this act and any rules and regulations adopted 31
under those sections. 32
(2) To comply with the attestation requirement of subsection (1) 33
of this section, before selling or otherwise transferring for 34
consideration a three-dimensional printer, the manufacturer must 35
submit to the attorney general an attestation under penalty of 36
perjury that the manufacturer has equipped all makes and models of 37
the three-dimensional printer sold or transferred in this state with 38
p. 2 HB 2321
blocking features that meet or exceed the blocking features standards 1
provided in sections 6 and 7 of this act and any rules and 2
regulations adopted under those sections. 3
(3) The attorney general, in consultation with research 4
institutions, government agencies, or any other organization the 5
attorney general deems appropriate, shall adopt rules and regulations 6
to establish standards for equipping a printer with the blocking 7
features required by this section and for providing the attestation 8
required by this section. The attorney general may adopt rules and 9
regulations for any other processes the attorney general deems 10
necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter.11
(4) This section does not apply to three-dimensional printers 12
manufactured for, and exclusively sold to, buyers with a valid 13
federal firearms manufacturing license issued under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 14
923. 15
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) Every natural person who violates 16
section 3 of this act shall, for a first offense, be guilty of a 17
misdemeanor and, for a second or subsequent offense, be guilty of a 18
class C felony.19
(2) Every corporation, trust, unincorporated association, or 20
partnership that violates section 3 of this act shall be guilty of a 21
class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine 22
of up to $15,000. 23
(3) Every natural person who files an attestation under section 3 24
of this act containing materially false information, which he or she 25
knows to be false, shall be guilty of perjury in the second degree 26
under RCW 9A.72.030. 27
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The legislature finds that the practices 28
covered by this chapter are matters vitally affecting the public 29
interest for the purpose of applying the consumer protection act, 30
chapter 19.86 RCW. A violation of this chapter is not reasonable in 31
relation to the development and preservation of business and is an 32
unfair or deceptive act in trade or commerce and an unfair method of 33
competition for the purpose of applying the consumer protection act, 34
chapter 19.86 RCW.35
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. (1) For the purpose of this chapter, a 36
software controls process satisfies the blocking features requirement 37
p. 3 HB 2321
only if it effectively rejects print requests for firearms or illegal 1
firearm parts with a high degree of reliability, and if it prevents a 2
user with significant technical skill from bypassing a digital 3
firearm manufacturing code detection algorithm and thereby subverting 4
the software controls process. 5
(2) A software controls process may be integrated into a three-6
dimensional printer's function in any of the following design forms:7
(a) Firmware design. Integration of a firearms blueprint 8
detection algorithm directly into a three-dimensional printer's 9
firmware, such that any geometric code received by the printer must 10
be screened by the algorithm before the printer will proceed to 11
print, and such that the printer will reject print jobs identified by 12
the algorithm as directing the printer to print firearms or illegal 13
firearm parts; 14
(b) Integrated preprint software design. Limitation of a three-15
dimensional printer's operation to accept geometric code for printing 16
exclusively from a single slicer or other preprint software, which 17
may be the manufacturer's proprietary software, and integration of a 18
firearms blueprint detection algorithm into that preprint software, 19
such that any stereolithography file or other computer-aided design 20
file must be screened by the algorithm before the software will 21
proceed to produce geometric code, and such that the software will 22
not produce geometric code for files that are identified by the 23
algorithm as directing the printer to print firearms or illegal 24
firearm parts; or 25
(c) Handshake authentication design. Limitation of a three-26
dimensional printer's operation to accept geometric code for printing 27
only from specified slicers or other preprint software, wherein the 28
printer will require a digital watermark or other authentication tool 29
verifying the identity of the preprint software, and only if that 30
preprint software has integrated a firearms blueprint detection 31
algorithm qualified by the attorney general under subsection (4) of 32
this section, such that any stereolithography file or other computer-33
aided design file must be screened by the algorithm before the 34
software will proceed to produce geometric code, and such that the 35
software will not produce geometric code for files that are 36
identified by the algorithm as directing the printer to print 37
firearms or illegal firearm parts. 38
(3) A software controls process may also be integrated into a 39
three-dimensional printer's function using a different design form 40
p. 4 HB 2321
than those described in subsection (2) of this section, provided that 1
the software controls process both rejects print requests for 2
firearms or illegal firearm parts with a high degree of reliability 3
and is no less resistant to being defeated by a user with significant 4
technical skill than the design forms described in subsection (2) of 5
this section. 6
(4) The attorney general, in consultation with research 7
institutions, government agencies, or any other organization the 8
attorney general deems appropriate, may adopt any rules or 9
regulations to further establish standards for software control 10
processes. 11
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. (1) For the purpose of this chapter, a 12
firearms blueprint detection algorithm satisfies the blocking 13
features requirement only if it has the capacity, to a high degree of 14
reliability, to:15
(a) Screen three-dimensional printing files, whether in the form 16
of stereolithography files or other computer-aided design files or 17
geometric code; 18
(b) Detect and identify any such files that can be used to 19
program a three-dimensional printer to produce firearms or illegal 20
firearm parts; and 21
(c) Flag any such disallowed files for rejection by a software 22
controls process. 23
(2) An algorithm must use, at a minimum, a database of disallowed 24
firearms blueprint files that have been commonly downloaded or shared 25
on public internet forums. The algorithm must have the capacity both 26
to detect files in its database and to actively seek to detect 27
modified versions of those files. The attorney general may by rule or 28
regulation require that an algorithm evaluate print requests, at a 29
minimum, against all files in the files database described in section 30
8 of this act. An algorithm does not need to produce a perfect 31
success rate at detecting disallowed files to effectively serve in 32
blocking technology but must meet the technical standards for 33
detection and flagging of disallowed files that are set forth in 34
rules or regulations adopted by the attorney general pursuant to this 35
chapter. 36
(3) The database of disallowed firearms blueprint files that an 37
algorithm uses must be able to be regularly updated, to an extent and 38
with a frequency to be determined by the attorney general by rule or 39
p. 5 HB 2321
regulation that accounts for the rate of innovation in commonly 1
available disallowed files. 2
(4) The attorney general, in consultation with research 3
institutions, government agencies, or any other organization the 4
attorney general deems appropriate, may adopt any rules or 5
regulations to further establish standards for firearms blueprint 6
detection algorithms, including rules and regulations requiring 7
developers and users of such algorithms to update such algorithms if 8
new technology is found to be substantially more effective.9
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. (1) By August 1, 2026, the attorney 10
general shall create and maintain a database of firearms blueprint 11
files and illegal firearm parts blueprint files, including, at a 12
minimum, by conducting reasonable searches of public internet forums, 13
and shall maintain and update the database at least once per year, 14
including by adding newly discovered files that enable the three-15
dimensional printing of firearms or illegal firearm parts.16
(2) The attorney general may consult with other government 17
agencies and research institutions in this state to create and 18
maintain a database of firearms blueprint files and illegal firearm 19
parts blueprint files. 20
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. Sections 1 through 8 of this act 21
constitute a new chapter in Title 19 RCW.22
NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. If any provision of this act or its 23
application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the 24
remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other 25
persons or circumstances is not affected.26
--- END ---
p. 6 HB 2321