White House slams Department of Justice over 3D-printed guns

August 1, 2018 at 4:20 p.m. | Updated August 1, 2018 at 4:22 p.m.

by Associated Press

In this May 10, 2013, file photo, Cody Wilson holds what he calls a Liberator pistol that was completely made on a 3-D-printer at his home in Austin, Texas. Eight states filed suit Monday, July 30, 2018, against the Trump administration over its decision to allow a Texas company to publish downloadable blueprints for a 3D-printed gun, contending the hard-to-trace plastic weapons are a boon to terrorists and criminals and threaten public safety. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)
In this May 10, 2013, file photo, Cody Wilson holds what he calls a Liberator pistol that was completely made on a 3-D-printer at his home in Austin, Texas. Eight states filed suit Monday, July 30, 2018, against the Trump administration over its decision to allow a Texas company to publish downloadable blueprints for a 3D-printed gun, contending the hard-to-trace plastic weapons are a boon to terrorists and criminals and threaten public safety. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is slamming the Department of Justice for dropping litigation that would have prevented the posting of instructions on how to make 3D-printed guns.

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday that DOJ "made a deal without the president's approval."

She said the president was "glad this efforts was delayed" so he can review the material. Sanders added that the administration supports the longstanding law against owning plastic guns.

The Justice Department's initial action triggered an onslaught of criticism about the possible proliferation of potentially lethal 3D-printed weapons.

A federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday to stop the release of blueprints to make untraceable and undetectable 3D-printed plastic guns.

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