--- title: "VFX companies push back against California’s 3D printed firearm bill" url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/vfx-companies-push-back-against-californias-3d-printed-firearm-bill/ date: 2026-07-20 modified: 2026-07-20 lang: en author: "Tess Boissonneault" description: "As lawmakers across the globe wrestle with how to manage the rise in illegal 3D printed firearms (aka ghost guns), the state of California is taking one of the strictest..." categories: - "3D Printing Processes" - "Consumer Products" - "Defense" - "Entertainment" - "Legislation & Regulation" tags: - "top news" image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ghost-gun-2-640x427.jpg word_count: 835 --- # VFX companies push back against California’s 3D printed firearm bill As lawmakers across the globe wrestle with how to [manage the rise in illegal 3D printed firearms](https://www.voxelmatters.com/prosecutors-warn-3d-printing-companies-about-stopping-spread-of-ghost-guns/) (aka ghost guns), the state of California is taking one of the strictest approaches with the introduction of [Assembly Bill 2047](https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2047) (AB 2047). This bill, which could come into effect in 2029, stipulates that 3D printer manufacturers selling their products in the state would have to equip their systems with a firearm blueprint detection algorithm that would effectively block the machine from printing firearm parts. Unsurprisingly, this proposed bill has garnered a fair amount of pushback. Somewhat surprisingly, the pushback is not just coming from the usual anti-gun-legislation groups, it is also coming from visual effects companies working in Hollywood. In an [article](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-07-19/california-3d-printer-gun-legislation-hollywood-props) published yesterday in the *Los Angeles Times*, Samuel McBride, lab manager at award-winning VFX studio Legacy Effects, explained how AB 2047 could effect the industry's work and limit the ability of studios to use 3D printing for creating props. On the one hand, he believes that firearm blueprint detection software won't be able to distinguish between a true illegal firearm component and a prop part. In reference to a 3D printed trigger used for an animatronic hand, he said: "If I just took apart this trigger and put it on a printer, how is anyone, computer or human, going to tell me how I intend to use it?" There are also other concerns with the bill related to first amendment rights. Specifically, if the firearm blueprint detection tool can't properly distinguish between a gun part and a part destined for a legitimate application, it could limit people's ability to design new products and iterate components. As Jakub Kmošek, head of public affairs at [Prusa](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/prusa-research/), explained to the *LA Times*: "To an algorithm, a gun barrel and a piece of pipe are the same grooved cylinder. This bill will only make it harder to build, repair, experiment, and innovate in California." To this end, a group of 3D printer manufacturers, VFX studios, and industry players submitted a letter to lawmakers last month with their concerns. Another key worry for prop makers working with major studios is that the additional software integrated into the 3D printers would also present IP protection risks. Typically, design files for film props are shared securely via highly encrypted servers, but introducing a level of "surveillance" and allowing design files to be screened could weaken this protection. On this point, the CEO of software company Physna, which has developed an AI-powered search engine that analyzes 3D geometries, says that the technology that could be used to block 3D printed firearms would not log or flag design files, it would simply block prohibited parts from being printed. He also says that only exact firearm parts would be blocked, not "something that vaguely looks like a gun part". [![VFX companies push back against California](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ghost-gun-1.jpeg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ghost-gun-1.jpeg) Despite these reassurances, the concerns about the bill from legitimate 3D printing users in the [entertainment sector](https://www.voxelmatters.com/category/3d-printed-consumer-products/entertainment/) are fair. In recent years, the technology has become integral to development and production at VFX studios, as it offers an economical and rapid way to produce custom parts. For instance, Guillermo del Toro's *Frankenstein *(2025) used [3D printed miniatures](https://www.voxelmatters.com/3d-printing-behind-the-scenes-frankenstein/) as part of its practical effects, and *Stranger Things* used the technology to make [realistic body doubles](https://www.voxelmatters.com/stranger-things-season-5-vfx-included-3d-printed-body-doubles/) for its final season. At Legacy Effects, the team believes that 3D printing is critical to the company's operations and survival in the market and limiting their output could put a strain on their business. AB 2047's author Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a Member of the California State Assembly, is not unsympathetic to the concerns of the entertainment industry and included a software exception in the bill for 3D printers "sold exclusively" to the entertainment industry. Those familiar with the AM industry will know that there are no 3D printers made and sold exclusively for a single type of end user—in fact, that kind of defeats the purpose of the versatility of the technology. In practice, if the bill passes in the California Senate, the state would publish a list of compliant 3D printers, which would be allowed to be sold in California. All 3D printers that do not integrate the firearm blueprint detection software would effectively be banned. As the bill reads: "The bill would require, on or before June 1, 2029, the department to publish a list of all the makes and models of 3-dimensional printers whose manufacturers have submitted complete self-attestations and would require the department to update the list no less frequently than on a quarterly basis and to make the list available on the departments internet website. The bill, beginning on December 1, 2029, would prohibit the sale or transfer of 3-dimensional printers that are not equipped with firearm blocking technology and that are not listed on the departments list, except as specified." The bill definitely represents a bold step in the battle against illegal 3D printed guns, but concerns from legitimate industries raise questions about how the law's implementation would actually play out. We'll report back as the bill's progress continues.