Does the First Amendment protect blueprints for 3-D printed guns?
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Are the blueprints for guns coming to a 3-D printer near you?
Right now the answer is still uncertain.
A federal judge blocked a Texas-based company from releasing the schematics, but there could be a long legal battle ahead.
Are blueprints for 3-D printed guns a form of self-expression? Does regulating these blueprints put America down a path for more regulation of speech in the future? Or is this a valid form of regulation because these plans have the potential to enable people who might not otherwise have legal access to obtaining a firearm, to get one?
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MPR News Host Kerri Miller spoke with two guests about the legal uncertainty surrounding 3d printed guns:
• Robert Spitzer is the Chair of the political science department at SUNY Cortland and author of "Guns Across America"
• Paul Barrett is the deputy director of NYU's Stern Center for Business and Human Rights and the author of "Glock: The Rise of America's Gun."
Use the audio player above to hear the full discussion
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