Regulate 3D Printing?

Duration: 08:48

Every time a new technology appears, fear-based laws follow, and 3D printing is next. Washington State just introduced two new bills that could change the future of digital manufacturing forever, and you need to know if your 3D printer is about to become illegal.

HB 2320 (Firearm Manufacturing Regulation): https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2320&Year=2026

HB 2321 (Mandatory Printer Blocking Tech): https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2321&Year=2026

Full Text of HB 2321 (PDF): https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/2321.pdf

Historical Context: The Cycle of Technology Panic

The "Kodak Fiend" (1890s Photography Fear): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-rise-of-the-camera-launched-a-fight-to-protect-gilded-age-americans-privacy-180984656/

The Comstock Act of 1873 (Anti-Vice Laws): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comstock_Act_of_1873

The Air Commerce Act of 1926 (Early Aviation Regulation): https://www.faa.gov/about/history/brief_history

Neurasthenia & Electricity (The Fear of Power Grids): https://socialhistory.org/en/collections/neurasthenia

Key Legal Precedent: Code is Speech

Bernstein v. Department of Justice (EFF Summary): https://www.eff.org/cases/bernstein-v-us-dept-justice

Global Freedom of Expression - Bernstein Case Analysis: https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/cases/bernstein-v-department-of-justice/

Find Your Washington State Legislator: https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/

Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000