New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled proposals aimed to crack down on 3D-printed guns and other illegal firearms as part of her 2026 State of the State address priorities, she announced Wednesday.
The pieces of legislation would:
Make it a crime for a person to intentionally sell, distribute, or possess digital instructions to illegally manufacture or produce a firearm or component parts without a license
Mandate the reporting of 3D printed guns to the Criminal Gun Clearinghouse database maintained by the New York State Police
Create a first-in-the-nation policy that requires the establishment of minimum safety standards for 3D printer manufacturers to ensure their products are equipped with technology that blocks the printer from creating firearms and component parts
Require gun manufacturers to design pistols so they cannot be quickly and easily modified into DIY machine guns through the use of illegal devices, such as Glock switches
“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,” Hochul said in a statement Wednesday. “From the iron pipeline to the plastic pipeline, these proposals will keep illegal ghost guns off of New York streets, and enhance measures to track and block the production of dangerous and illegal firearms in our state. I remain committed to continuing the progress we saw in 2025 to reduce gun violence in New York and ensuring our laws remain the strongest and safest in the nation.”
In October 2024, Hochul said the state had seized over 569 illegal ghost guns.
In 2021, Hochul signed into law a measure that bars the sale of ghost guns, or firearms that lack a registration and serial numbers, which make it difficult for law enforcement to trace.
This is the second major proposal Hochul has unveiled as part of her 2026 legislative agenda, the other being bills aimed to protect children from online predators, scammers and artificial intelligence chatbots. Hochul will lay out her executive proposals in her annual State of the State address in Albany next Tuesday.