Legislators want 3D-printed guns made entirely of plastic to be illegal in the U.S. for another 10 years.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to extend the Undetectable Firearms Act, a 1988 law banning any weapon that can evade metal detectors.
See also: Is Downloading and Manufacturing a 3D-Printed Gun Illegal?
Lawmakers pushed to extend the law, which was slated to expire on Dec. 9, amid fears that 3D printing would give criminals an unprecedented chance to smuggle a functioning weapon into a secure building. Availability of 3D printers and designs for 3D-printed guns, like the infamous Liberator, is rapidly increasing as the technology becomes mainstream.
Both the Senate and the President still have to approve the extension. However, Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.), the sponsor of the bill, said this shouldn't be an issue.
"The fact that today’s reauthorization passed by voice vote proves that there is overwhelming bipartisan support for this law," Coble said in a press statement.
While the law doesn't make any direct reference to 3D printing, it still applies to 3D-printed guns because they are plastic and, therefore, could potentially dodge security checks. Other legislators, mainly Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), want to reform and modernize the law by mandating certain gun components be made of metal.
Coble, however, urged the Senate to leave reform proposals aside and just renew the old law.
"While we have heard that some want to amend the bill when it arrives in the Senate, I urge our colleagues on the other side of Capitol Hill to quickly enact a clean 10-year reauthorization so that this ban on undetectable weapons will not expire," Coble said in the statement.
Gun law expert George Mocsary also said the old law works well and shouldn't be touched.
"There is no need to add components to make it more difficult for gun owner and gun makers," he told Mashable. "But people are adding these [...] just to make the lives of some people they don't like more difficult."
The National Rifle Association released a statement Tuesday saying it has been working for months to "thwart" any reform attempts.
"The NRA strongly opposes any expansion of the Undetectable Firearms Act, including applying the UFA to magazines, gun parts or the development of new technologies."
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Image: Robert MacPherson/AFP/Getty Images