National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch slammed the debate over the ability to print out and assemble plastic guns through the use of a 3D printer as "fear mongering."
"There is a lot of misinformation out there," Loesch told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "There is a lot of misinformation out there and it is pretty shameful that there are elected officials that are trying to exploit the lack of information and lack of knowledge about this entire issue and fear monger. That is exactly what this is."
On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked online distribution of gun blueprints for 3D printing, halting a settlement the Trump administration had reached with a company that planned to put the details online.
"I've seen senators like Ed Markey say this, Chuck Schumer say 'oh my gosh, there will be a rash of undetectable guns out there that will be printed and they will arm criminals and terrorists.'"
However, she said the plans follow the rule of law, and even though the guns are made of plastic, there is "no such thing as a legal undetectable gun."
"In order for it to be considered a legal firearm, whether or not you're a personally making it or a commercially-made firearm you have to have so many ounces of metal," said Loesch. "They're lawmakers, so they should know because of the literally named Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988."
Further, the fears that criminals will get their hands on the printers and materials needed to make the guns are unfounded, said Loesch.
"Full disclosure, I'm looking into purchasing a 3D printer," said Loesch. "I was talking to a friend of mine last night, I don't think people realize how expensive it is to get a decent 3D printer to handle heavy-duty plastic. To get materials and printer talking about dropping serious cash on a machine to make and to print out a plastic firearm that may last a few round before it breaks. Very expensive. Cost prohibitive."
Instead, criminals will bypass the machines and buy their guns as they always have, she said: On the black market.
"They can get a boatload of firearms on the black market and file the serial numbers off," Loesch said. "None of these arguments are based in reality. They're fear-mongering."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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