The fight against the proposed California law that will cripple 3D printers takes an important step tomorrow.
We’ve written about this bill many times previously, but in a nutshell, we have naive legislators proposing to mandate that all 3D printers sold must include “blocking technology” to prevent printing of illegal weapons. The problem is that this is a) technically infeasible, b) would require every print job to be sent “somewhere” on the internet, compromising privacy, and c) significantly curtail most 3D print-related open-source projects.
The bill is proceeding through the usual steps in the California legislature, and it turns out that the final public hearing is to take place tomorrow in Sacramento. The hearing takes place on June 30th at 8:30am for the hearing. 1021 O Street (Swing Space), Room 2200, Sacramento, CA.
The fight against the bill, AB2047, is led by Fabbaloo friend David Tobin, who has not only written about the issue but has been physically attending hearings and speaking directly to legislators. You can learn more about his efforts in our recent interview with him.
Tobin also happens to be the producer for one of the biggest 3D print YouTube channels, 3D Printing Nerd. Channel host Joel Telling just published a detailed explanation about the hearing and provides advice about how to take action, if you are able:
The hearing tomorrow is quite important, and as you know, votes count. Legislators typically view the world through “voter count”, thinking “how many voters does this position represent?” That’s why Tobin and the other organizers are requesting that any 3D printer operator that’s able to physically attend the hearing in Sacramento tomorrow.
The more people speaking against the proposal or even visibly standing with the opposition, the better. The legislators need to see that there is serious opposition to the proposal.
How exactly do you participate? Everything you need to know about attending is available right here.
Let’s get as many people out as possible. The rest of the 3D print universe will thank you.
