2026-2027 Budget Bills: 3D-Printed Firearm Crimes and Prevention Technology

Update: These provisions are now law. Governor Hochul signed Senate Bill S.9005C, the FY2027 public protection and general government budget, on May 27, 2026, enacting the 3D-printed firearm and pistol-design measures described below.

What the FY27 Budget Enacted

The enacted FY2027 budget includes several firearms measures^[1]. It requires 3D printers sold in New York to include technology that prevents the unlicensed production of firearms and firearm parts, making New York the first state to impose such a hardware mandate. It criminalizes the unlawful possession, sale, or distribution of digital blueprints that allow the printing of illegal firearms. And it requires that pistols sold to private citizens in the state be designed so they cannot quickly and easily be converted into machine guns.

The Convertible-Pistol Provision

Supporters describe the pistol-design measure as an anti-conversion requirement. Critics describe it as a convertible-pistol ban. Gun-rights groups have objected that the statutory definition, which reaches any pistol with a so-called cruciform trigger bar, could sweep in many commonly owned striker-fired handguns^[2]. The enacted text adds two definitions to Penal Law 265.00. A new subdivision 37 defines a "convertible pistol" as a semi-automatic pistol with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily altered by hand or with common household tools. A new subdivision 40 defines the "cruciform trigger bar" as a trigger linkage whose sear is incorporated in a cross-shaped surface. The ban operates through related amendments to Penal Law 265.10 and 265.20. This convertible-pistol subpart takes effect on the ninetieth day after enactment, which falls in late August 2026.

Current Status

Signed into law on May 27, 2026 as part of the FY2027 enacted budget^[3]. New York already prohibits unserialized firearms under the Jose Webster Untraceable Firearms Act and unfinished frames and receivers under the Scott J. Beigel Unfinished Receiver Act, both enacted in 2022. These budget provisions add 3D-printer-specific enforcement and a pistol-design requirement on top of the existing serialization rules.

What to Watch

Expect implementation guidance from the State on the 3D-printer hardware standard, which is a first-of-its-kind mandate and is likely to face technical-feasibility and First Amendment challenges. Litigation over the blueprint-file restrictions and the pistol-design definition is probable. The 3D-printer crimes and the digital firearm manufacturing code offenses under Penal Law 265.10 took effect immediately on signing. The 3D-printer hardware mandate takes effect one year after the state promulgates implementing rules under Executive Law 837-aa. The convertible-pistol ban takes effect on the ninetieth day after enactment, in late August 2026.