Reynolds says approach to 3D guns issue must be measured

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG

PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - As Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller considers jumping into a lawsuit banning the release of documents that show how to print guns on 3D printers, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said the issue falls back on mental health and must be monitored.

Reynolds was in Fort Madison on Tuesday as part of a day tour through Fort Madison with stops at the weekly Fort Madison Rotary Club meeting, the ribbon-cutting at the Old Lee County Bank and Cattermole Library upper apartments, and a tour of Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. Reynolds also scheduled a tour of the new Catfish Bend Hampton Hotel and had a possible fundraiser dinner in Burlington.

After the tour of apartments Reynolds stopped for questions and addressed the gun issue.

"We have to be really careful with that. That's part of the opportunity and challenges with innovation and technology. You can use it for good and you can use it for bad," she said. "You have to find a balance with over-regulating and shutting down innovation and technology and the good that comes from it."

A Texas-based group known as Defense Distributed reached a settlement with the U.S. state department and is scheduled to begin downloading 3D printing instructions through it's DEFCAD program beginning Wednesday. Skeptics of the program say it will be very difficult and dangerous to produce effective weapons. Critics say the guns could be untraceable.

According to CNN, Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson posted a video in 2013 showing the "wiki-weapon" and the U.S. State Department issued a three-page cease and desist order. Since that time, a settlement has been reached between the two and Wilson is offering the downloads at no charge.

Miller is joining a growing list of states filing suit in Washington D.C. and more than 20 attorneys general in signing a letter to President Donald Trump citing the dangerous precedent of allowing the downloads to go forward.

Trump tweeted this at 7:03 a.m. this morning, "I am looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense!"

Reynolds said there is more work to be done on the mental health care front to get out in front of people who want to do harm.

"When there's evil and nefarious people out there that want to do bad things, they're gonna find a way to do it," she said.

"We need to take a look at it and find a balance," she said. "We have to look into it to make sure it's a measured approach to what we're doing."

She said its sad to say, but if someone is intent on doing something evil and horrific, it's hard to stop them.

"I don't care how much you do, there's mental health and we're trying to address that, there's drugs and we're trying to address that," Reynolds said. "So maybe the more we can get in front of some of those things - help mitigate that, and help people get healthy and have a healthy life, that will help us to anticipate some of those bad things."

3D guns, Cody Wilson, Defense Distributed, Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, Pen City Current, plastic guns

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