The 3D Printing Gun Rights Movement: A Digital Frontier for Second Amendment Advocates

In the shadowy corners of social media, a growing community of Second Amendment enthusiasts has emerged, united by their passion for creating firearms with 3D printers. From colorful handguns with custom designs to rifles inspired by video games and even toy-like weapons created for children’s birthdays, these homemade firearms showcase the creativity of tens of thousands of users who have joined private groups across platforms like Facebook and Discord. Known as the “3D2A” community (3D printing for Second Amendment rights), these groups serve as virtual workshops where members share their latest creations, exchange printing tips, and discuss their interpretations of gun rights in America. The movement’s philosophy is straightforward: if someone can check out a library book about building a gun, they should be able to access the same information online. Todd Kelly, co-founder of the 2A Printing Facebook group with over 60,000 members, articulates this sentiment clearly, describing gun designs as a form of protected speech and art. “Our goal in the 3D printed community,” he explains, “is that no government will ever be able to tell someone that they cannot have a gun.”

However, this digital gun rights movement faces significant opposition from both social media platforms and federal authorities. Major platforms like Facebook, Discord, and Reddit frequently ban these groups when they appear to facilitate weapons sales or when content moderators misidentify discussions as illegal transactions. More concerning for group members is the active surveillance by law enforcement. Court documents reviewed by Forbes reveal that the Justice Department has been monitoring these communities extensively, with federal agents raiding Discord’s 2A Print Depot group in 2024 and seizing nearly 18 months of member communications. The investigation extended to Facebook administrators of similarly named groups, with authorities running undercover profiles in these private communities through 2025. The warrant that authorized these searches noted that at least one group member was a convicted felon who appeared to be illegally possessing firearms, and two group administrators have already faced charges—one for being a felon in possession of a firearm and another for failing to register a 3D-printed rifle.

The growing concern about these untraceable “ghost guns” is understandable given America’s ongoing struggle with gun violence. The alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 with a 3D-printed weapon heightened anxieties about these untraceable firearms. Unlike traditional guns manufactured by companies like Glock or Remington, 3D-printed weapons lack serial numbers and registration, making them impossible to trace. The legal landscape governing their creation varies widely: federal law permits printing guns for personal use but not for sale, while several states—including Delaware, New Jersey, and Rhode Island—have criminalized either the printing of guns and components or the sharing of designs. Gun control organizations like Everytown For Gun Safety advocate for comprehensive federal legislation banning these weapons entirely, pointing to numerous criminal cases involving ghost guns. In a previously unreported incident from early 2024, federal agents in Connecticut arrested an individual who had threatened to use explosive devices on New Year’s Eve, discovering a 3D printer and evidence that he had been building an arsenal using designs from dark web sites.

Group administrators attempt to distance themselves from illegal activities by establishing strict community guidelines. The Black Lotus Coalition, with over 20,000 members across Facebook and Discord, enforces policies requiring legal compliance, civility, and prohibitions against abuse. Founder Gage Moran explains that admins carefully vet design contributors for knowledge of federal statutes before granting them membership, regularly turning away individuals who seem unfamiliar with the law or likely to break it. Nevertheless, the Justice Department’s broad investigations into these communities have raised concerns among privacy advocates. John Davisson from the Electronic Privacy Information Center characterized the data seizures as “borderline overreach,” noting that “as soon as you are collecting at that scale, you are inevitably collecting information from people who are just curious, or who are exercising their own First Amendment protected speech and not actually engaged in any kind of criminal activity.” Group administrators themselves are well aware of the surveillance; Kelly estimates that about half of the members in groups he manages are likely law enforcement officers, adopting a pragmatic stance: “I always assume that the government is surveilling me. I don’t like it… but you don’t do things on the internet that you don’t want people to find out about.”

Despite community efforts to maintain legitimacy, there remains troubling overlap with criminal activity. Peter Laucella, a convicted felon legally prohibited from possessing firearms, openly runs a 3D2A Facebook group with more than 5,000 members. When asked about his legal status, Laucella was dismissive, stating, “I run the group but I’m not really doing much since I am a convicted felon and can’t legally own a firearm. Legally is a vague terminology, if you get my point.” His belief that “everyone, whether or not they have a felony, should own and possess any firearm they wish for protection” directly contradicts federal law. The consequences of this philosophy became evident in a recent case where a 25-year-old National Guard employee from Tulsa was charged with using encrypted messaging apps to sell 3D-printed gun and drone parts to someone claiming connections to Al-Qaida, including devices that could convert handguns into fully automatic weapons. Yet for Second Amendment absolutists like Kelly, isolated criminal cases shouldn’t prevent law-abiding citizens from exercising what they see as their constitutional rights. “Being a criminal is a very dangerous occupation, and they need to protect themselves,” Kelly argues, adding, “If our Second Amendment is being enacted properly, we don’t have to be scared of criminals with guns, because we’re armed too. An armed society is a polite society.”

Beyond government surveillance, these communities face constant challenges from platform policies. Facebook and Discord have banned numerous 3D2A groups, including the 2A Print Depot and temporarily suspending Kelly’s largest group over a post containing links to 3D printing files and gun parts retailers. Similarly, Moran has seen Black Lotus Coalition accounts removed from Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and YouTube—with X’s ban being particularly surprising given Elon Musk’s free speech stance. However, when one group is shut down, administrators simply create new ones, observing that other groups see increased activity following a ban. “We have backup groups for the backup groups… They can’t stop the signal,” Kelly explains. Many members have also migrated to encrypted messaging platforms to share designs and files more securely, recognizing the controversial nature of their hobby. The community itself is surprisingly diverse, with Moran noting that “the majority of members have families, and our membership includes doctors, lawyers, teachers and engineers.” As social platforms and federal authorities continue their efforts to monitor and regulate this digital frontier of gun rights activism, the 3D2A community remains resilient, adapting to new challenges while continuing to advocate for what they see as their constitutional right to create and possess firearms—regardless of how they’re manufactured.