US release of 3D-printed gun software blocked
Washington, Aug 1 : A US federal judge in Seattle has blocked the release of software that allows consumers to 3D-print firearms.
The order came just hours before their scheduled online distribution by a Texas group that had reached an agreement with the Donald Trump administration to do so, Efe news reported.
Gun access advocacy group Defense Distributed was due to put downloadable gun blueprints online on Wednesday.
The settlement with the Trump administration was reached in June that would have allowed it to legally publish the instructions even via online posts.
However, eight states and the District of Columbia sued the government on Monday to block the settlement, arguing that untraceable guns were a safety risk, the BBC reported.
In a sudden tweet on Tuesday, even President Trump said: "I am looking into 3D plastic guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA, doesn't seem to make much sense!"
He was referring to the National Rifle Association, the powerful US pro-gun organisation and lobbying group.
Almost simultaneously, came US District Judge Robert Lasnik's temporary restraining order halting the release hours before the August 1 deadline, saying the blueprints could fall into the wrong hands.
The agreement with the Texas-based Defense Distributed was the conclusion of a five-year legal battle in which the former Barack Obama administration argued before two federal judges.
While the Supreme Court refused to hear the case that the downloadable manuals for how to print plastic rifles and pistols violated firearms export laws.
However, the Trump administration had suddenly reached the agreement two months back and given approval for publication of the manuals in any form.
It even said that the US government will pay $40,000 to cover the legal fees incurred by Cody Wilson, the founder-director of Defense Distributed.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
