Trump questions 3-D gun sales as US states sue

President Donald Trump on Tuesday raised concerns about the sale of plastic guns made with 3-D printers, a day after several U.S. states sued the Trump administration to block the online publication of designs for such printable weapons.

Eight states and Washington, D.C., on Monday filed a lawsuit to fight a June settlement between the federal government and Texas-based Defense Distributed allowing the company to legally publish its designs. Its downloadable plans are set to go online on Wednesday.

The legal wrangling is the latest fight over gun rights in the United States, which has faced a series of mass shooting in recent years that has re-ignited the long-simmering debate over access to firearms.

“I am looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public,” Trump said in a Twitter post that referred to the powerful National Rifle Association lobbying group. “Already spoke to NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense.”

Representatives for the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The states, in their filing on Monday, argued the online plans will give criminals easy access to weapons by circumventing traditional sales and regulations.

Gun rights groups have been largely dismissive of concerns about 3-D printable guns, saying the technology is expensive and the guns unreliable.

Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Bill Trott