Governor Kathy Hochul is facing criticism from gun rights advocates after signing sweeping new firearm restrictions into law through New York’s overdue state budget, a move opponents argue sidestepped a full legislative debate on a controversial issue involving 3D-printed firearms and gun components.
The measures, approved as part of the state’s $268 billion spending plan target “ghost guns” and other firearms that can be manufactured or assembled using components produced by 3D printers and milling equipment. The budget package was finalized nearly 60 days after the state’s April 1st deadline and includes a series of new criminal penalties and manufacturing requirements aimed at restricting the production and modification of firearms.
Among the provisions are penalties for manufacturing firearms through 3D-printing processes, requirements that 3D printer manufacturers implement safety features designed to “block the production” of firearms and firearm parts, and mandates requiring police departments and sheriff’s offices to report recoveries of 3D-printed weapons.
The legislation also directs firearm manufacturers to redesign certain pistols so they cannot be altered into what lawmakers classify as machine guns.
Hochul defended the new regulations and argued that rapid advancements in firearm technology require updated laws. She said the changes would help preserve New York’s “strongest-in-the-nation” gun control framework while continuing efforts to reduce violent crime.
However, critics have focused less on the substance of the legislation and more on how it was enacted. Rather than moving through the traditional legislative process as a standalone bill, the restrictions were slipped into the must-pass state budget, effectively forcing lawmakers to vote on the package as a whole.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) blasted the tactic and accused Hochul and Democrats of using the budget process to secure passage of a divisive measure that might otherwise have faced greater scrutiny.
“This was a strategic and calculated procedural move to put divisive legislation into an all-or-nothing budget bill,” said the NRA in a statement. “Despite having a trifecta of control, Majority Democrats needed over a dozen extenders after missing their April 1st budget deadline.”
The organization also argued that the legislation extends far beyond targeting illegal firearm conversions and instead impacts a broad category of legally owned handguns.
Calling the measure a “brazen ban,” the NRA pointed specifically to language addressing what the law describes as “convertible pistols.”
“This move creates a ban on an entire class of commonly-owned handguns, any gun with a “cruciform trigger bar,” the group said. “These guns are banned whether or not a conversion device is actually installed or even possessed.”
The debate centers largely on ghost guns, which are firearms that can be assembled from separately purchased parts rather than bought as complete, serialized weapons. Because the components are often sold individually, law enforcement officials argue they can bypass many of the safeguards associated with traditional firearm sales including background checks, waiting periods and restrictions on convicted felons.
One of the most high-profile cases involving a 3D-printed firearm occurred in New York with Luigi Mangione in the fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson more than a year ago.
The latest restrictions build on legislation Hochul signed in 2021 that outlawed untraceable ghost guns by criminalizing their sale, requiring serialization and closing what state officials described as loopholes that allowed firearm parts to be purchased and assembled without background checks.
Legal challenges appear likely.
New York has spent years defending firearm regulations in court, including after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in the N.Y. State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen case. In that decision, the court struck down a New York law that required applicants to demonstrate “proper cause” before obtaining a permit to carry a firearm.
The NRA indicated it believes the newest restrictions face similar constitutional vulnerabilities.
“Obviously, this bill raises a whole host of constitutional questions,” said the NRA. “New York State is no stranger to being sued over its unconstitutional gun laws, but Majority Democrats seemed unmoved by these arguments.”
