Governor Kathy Hochul wants to make it a crime in New York simply to possess, without a license, digital instructions on how to produce a gun or component parts.

The proposal is part of her new agenda to further crack down on 3D printed guns “ghost guns.” Ms. Hochul claims that ghost guns are the nation’s fastest growing gun safety threat.

Ms. Hochul wants to require 3D printer manufacturers to establish new “minimum safety standards” that force the printers to contain technology that will block the production of firearms and firearm components. The governor claims 3D printers in middle school classrooms right now could be churning out weapons. 

Another new rule would require gun manufacturers to design pistols so that they cannot be “quickly and easily” modified into “do-it-yourself” machine guns.

Ms. Hochul also wants to mandate that police departments report all recoveries of 3D printed firearms to the Criminal Gun Clearinghouse database that is maintained by the state police.

“Public safety is my top priority. When I took office, I made a promise to New Yorkers to attack the gun violence epidemic head-on, and as gun technology continues to evolve, so do our strongest-in-the-nation gun laws,” Governor Hochul said in a statement.

Second Amendment supporters are alarmed by the proposals, especially the possibility of facing gun charges without even possessing a gun. The NRA says that the proposal is not just a Second Amendment issue but a First Amendment problem as well.

“All citizens should be gravely concerned with unconstitutional prior restraints on free speech when government works to require private companies to monitor and censor information on what citizens in most jurisdictions are legally allowed to create and possess in their own homes,” the National Rifle Association states.

The NRA says that all firearms are already heavily regulated regardless of how they are manufactured. It adds that there isn’t a legal loophole where 3D printed firearms are treated any differently under the law than other guns.

Manhattan’s district attorney, Alvin Bragg, has previously threatened legal action against 3D printer manufacturers and demanded online platforms take down gun designs. He has also asked YouTube to censor 3D gun printing related videos, the NRA noted. Mr. Bragg signaled support for Ms. Hochul’s proposals.

“These illegal firearms are being manufactured in homes and used in crimes right now, which is why I have been working with my colleagues in Albany and the private sector over the past several years to stop their proliferation,” Mr. Bragg said.

The exact wording of proposed legislation has not been released. The 2026 legislative session started last week at Albany.