SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Attorney General (AG) Bob Ferguson of the U.S. state of Washington said on Friday he felt "disturbed" at a continued legal battle by the federal government that allows online publishing of technology for 3D printable weapons.
"It is disturbing that the Department of Justice continues to fight my office in court to allow Cody Wilson, a self-described crypto-anarchist who is now charged with sexual assault of a child to distribute untraceable, undetectable 3D-printed guns over the internet," Ferguson's office said in a Twitter post Friday.
Wilson is a controversial maker of the first 3D-printed plastic gun and owner of Defense Distributed, an Austin, Texas state-based firm that sells software and hardware to help print and make untraceable weapons at home.
Ferguson said on July 30 that he had filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against the Trump administration over a settlement agreement between the U.S. State Department and Defense Distributed to share online information on 3D-printable guns.
Washington state was supported and joined by 18 other U.S. states in the legal action against the federal government that permits the online spreading of the know-how of 3D printable guns.
In the Twitter post on Friday, Ferguson urged the federal government to give top priority to the safety of the American public.
"It is time for them to come to their senses and put the safety of the American people first," tweeted Ferguson's office.
The Washington AG Office's statement coincided with news reports that Wilson has been arrested overseas on underage sex charge.
Earlier this week, Texas police issued an arrest warrant for Wilson for his paid sex with a 16-year-old girl, which constitutes a sexual assault in the United States. Media reports said his passport has been revoked by the U.S. government.
