Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg showed reporters Tuesday how a $250 printer and a few dollars worth of parts can transform an AR-15 rifle into a DIY machine gun.

What You Need To Know

There’s a renewed push for state lawmakers to pass stricter restrictions on 3D-printed guns and gun parts as part of the state budget

The effort is supported by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg

The state budget is due Wednesday

Describing an evolving public safety threat, Bragg explained, “We’ve moved from the iron pipeline to really the kitchen table pipeline.”

Bragg is calling on state lawmakers to pass stricter 3D gun laws along with the state budget.

The top Manhattan prosecutor is supporting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s effort to crack down on both 3D-printed ghost guns and 3D-printed auto sears.

Banned across the United States but printable on a 3D machine, auto sears can be bright — as small as a Lego toy — and capable of converting handguns and rifles into fully automatic weapons.

“That’s really just shaken up our understanding of guns in this country,” Justin Wagner, the managing director of Every Town for Gun Safety, said during the briefing.

Last week, Hochul stood in Albany with district attorneys and sheriffs from across the state to highlight the proposals she wants the legislature to pass.

Hochul wants all 3D printers sold in New York state to have technology blocking them from creating ghost gun parts. She also wants to ban the sale and distribution of digital design files for printing 3D guns.

In Manhattan, Bragg explained in 2017 that his office recovered just 17 3D-printed and ghost guns. By 2024 the number rose to 438.

Prosecutors are dealing with constantly evolving technology and guns that can be printed without any kind of serial number.

“You can’t print counterfeit money. We don’t let you do that,” Bragg said. “So why would we let you print lethal guns?”

Bragg’s office is actively prosecuting several cases with suspects accused of using 3D-printed guns, including the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer, Luigi Mangione.