Bonta and Chiu File Suit in San Francisco Against 3D Gun Websites

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed a civil lawsuit in San Francisco County Superior Court on Feb. 6, 2026, targeting Gatalog Foundation Inc., CTRLPew LLC, and three individuals tied to those operations. The complaint alleges the defendants distributed computer code and instructions that allow people to 3D-print firearms, machine-gun conversion devices, and illegal large-capacity magazines without background checks.

The suit accuses Gatalog Foundation Inc. and CTRLPew LLC of offering more than 150 designs of lethal firearms and prohibited accessories, including machine-gun conversion devices described as "Glock Switches." State investigators downloaded files during the inquiry and were able to build a Glock-style handgun "with a few simple keystrokes," the complaint asserts. The filing frames the activities as part of a "skip-the-background-check business model" that undercuts licensed firearm sellers and enables weapons access by minors, people with felony convictions, and domestic abusers.

Attorney General Rob Bonta said the practice poses a direct public safety threat. "These defendants’ conduct enables unlicensed people who are too young or too dangerous to pass firearm background checks to illegally print deadly weapons without a background check and without a trace. This lawsuit underscores just how dangerous the ghost gun industry is and how much harm its skip-the-background-check business model has done to California’s communities." Bonta also framed the legal action as a novel approach: "This groundbreaking lawsuit shows that our office is not bound by the old playbook. Similar to these defendants, we think creatively, but our aim is to protect public safety rather than obstruct it."

The complaint names Alexander Holladay as the Gatalog Foundation’s principal, John Elik as a director, and gun rights attorney Matthew Larosiere as another individual tied to the operations. Plaintiffs allege violations of state law that prohibit unlicensed manufacture of firearms and the distribution of computer code without a permit, and the lawsuit invokes California’s unfair competition provisions while seeking injunctive relief to stop ongoing violations.

Plaintiffs include examples and law-enforcement context to show harm. The filing cites a 2024 Santa Rosa arrest of a 14-year-old who allegedly used a 3D printer to manufacture multiple firearms. It also references statewide law-enforcement activity, noting earlier seizures and an increase in recoveries; one description in court filings contrasts 2015 recoveries of 26 ghost guns with later years when authorities reported seizing about 11,000 ghost guns and auto sears per year in 2021–2025. Court filings contend a cheap 3D printer, plastic filament, and commonly available parts can produce a ghost gun in a single day.

Adam Skaggs of GIFFORDS Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which has partnered with the state on prior ghost-gun actions, emphasized the risk: "But a new generation of irresponsible gun industry actors are trying to unlawfully arm minors, people with felony convictions, and domestic abusers by letting them 3D-print their own guns without any background checks." Defendants did not respond to requests for comment.

For San Francisco residents, the lawsuit aims to curb a supply chain that prosecutors say produces untraceable weapons that can evade safety laws and background checks. The court will decide whether to enjoin the websites and associated actors, and local law enforcement and public-safety officials may use any resulting rulings to guide policing and community safety outreach. The case promises to shape how digital distribution of weapon designs is regulated in California and could influence similar legal efforts nationwide.