Montana’s Right to Compute Act: A Digital Liberty Law
On April 17, 2025, Montana took a pioneering step in digital rights by enacting the Right to Compute Act (MRTCA), a groundbreaking law that emphasizes the significance of computational tools as integral to personal freedom without specifically mentioning firearms.
The Essence of the Right to Compute Act
This legislation marks a fundamental shift in how digital rights are perceived, establishing a legal framework in which the use, ownership, and distribution of computational tools are recognized as constitutional liberties. While it may appear to focus merely on digital freedoms, the implications extend deeply into the realm of Second Amendment rights.
In the digital landscape, the struggle for gun rights transcends traditional battlegrounds; it now encompasses code, digital resources, and 3D fabrication technologies.
Confronting Gun Control Through Technology
Efforts to curtail firearm ownership in the United States have increasingly targeted the tools and resources necessary for individuals to construct their own firearms, rather than the firearms themselves. This shift highlights the necessity of protecting access to digital files and information essential for self-manufacturing firearms legally.
Transformative Provisions of Montana’s Act
The MRTCA embodies a clear recognition that:
Computation embodies expression, digital files represent property, and coding is synonymous with liberty.
Under this law, any efforts by state or local governments to limit digital resources related to firearm creation must undergo rigorous judicial scrutiny—similar to protections afforded to speech and religious freedom. This means that any attempts to:
- Ban computer-aided design (CAD) files
- Restrict the 3D printing of firearm components
- Alter firmware of 3D printers
- Censor gun-related digital content or online forums
…will face substantial legal challenges, requiring the state to demonstrate an overwhelming justification.
A Framework for the Digital Second Amendment
Effectively, Montana has laid the groundwork for what can be conceptualized as a Digital Second Amendment by safeguarding:
- The rights of hobbyists to legally use 3D printers for firearm assembly
- The defense of code-sharing platforms against lawsuits from activist prosecutors
- Protection against tech companies being utilized as agents of gun control
This strategic maneuver provides a robust countermeasure against increasing trends of digital disarmament, as noted by influential voices in the community such as John Lott and Defense Distributed: “3D printers signal the end of practical gun control.”
Resilience of the 3D Printing Community
As the 3D printing technology becomes more accessible and cost-effective, a decentralized network of CAD files continues to thrive, fueled by innovative groups such as The Gatalog and DEFCAD. Despite attempts to restrict access to these digital assets, the government cannot feasibly impose limitations on the technological signal.
Montana has decisively countered such moves, declaring the right to utilize computational tools as an essential liberty.
Encouraging Other States to Follow Suit
With Montana leading the charge, it now falls upon states like Texas, Florida, and Arizona, among others, to consider instituting similar protections for digital freedoms. Just as Second Amendment sanctuaries have emerged, there is a call for the establishment of Digital Second Amendment sanctuaries, where:
- Digital files are freely shared and not treated as contraband
- 3D printers do not require licenses
- Code is not subject to censorship
While the Founding Fathers could not have predicted advancements in 3D printing technology, their foresight regarding the dangers of centralized control remains relevant today.
A Collective Push for Digital Rights
Montana has set a precedent; the goal now is to ensure similar legislation spreads across the rest of the United States.
