Defense Distributed v. U.S. Dep't. of State Apellant's Reply Brief

Case: 15-50759
Document: 00513400133
Page: 1
Date Filed: 02/29/2016
Case No. 15-50759

In the United States Court of Appeals
for the Fifth Circuit
DEFENSE DISTRIBUTED;
SECOND AMENDMENT FOUNDATION, INCORPORATED,
Plaintiffs-Appellants
v.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE; JOHN F. KERRY, In His Official
Capacity as the Secretary of the Department of State; DIRECTORATE OF
DEFENSE TRADE CONTROLS, Department of State Bureau of Political
Military Affairs; KENNETH B. HANDELMAN, Individually and in His
Official Capacity as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Defense
Trade Controls in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs; C. EDWARD
PEARTREE, Individually and in His Official Capacity as the Director of
the Office of Defense Trade Controls Policy Division; SARAH J.
HEIDEMA, Individually and in Her Official Capacity as the Division
Chief, Regulatory and Multilateral Affairs, Office of Defense Trade
Controls Policy; GLENN SMITH, Individually and in His Official Capacity
as the Senior Advisor, Office of Defense Trade Controls,
Defendants-Appellees
Appeal from an Order of the United States District Court for the
Western District of Texas, The Hon. Robert L. Pitman, District Judge
(Dist. Ct. No. 1:15-CV-372-RP)
REPLY BRIEF FOR THE APPELLANTS
Matthew Goldstein
MATTHEW A. GOLDSTEIN, PLLC
1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
10th Floor
Washington, DC 20009
202.550.0040/Fax 202.683.6679
Alan Gura
Counsel of Record
GURA & POSSESSKY, PLLC
916 Prince Street, Suite 107
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.835.9085/703.997.7665
February 29, 2016

Counsel for Appellants
(Additional Counsel Inside Cover)
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Additional Counsel for Appellants
William B. Mateja
POLSINELLI P.C.
2950 N. Harwood, Suite 2100
Dallas, TX 75201
214.397.0030/Fax 214.397.0033
William T. Tommy Jacks
David S. Morris
FISH & RICHARDSON P.C.
One Congress Plaza, Suite 810
111 Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701
512.472.5070/Fax 512.320.8935
Josh Blackman
1303 San Jacinto Street
Houston, TX 77002
202.294.9003/Fax 713.646.1766
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CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PERSONS

Defense Distributed, et al. v. U.S. Dept of State, et al., No. 15-50759
The undersigned counsel of record certifies that the following listed
persons and entities as described in the fourth sentence of Rule 28.2.1
have an interest in the outcome of this case. These representations are
made in order that the judges of this Court may evaluate possible
disqualification or recusal.
Plaintiffs:
Defense Distributed, Second Amendment Foundation, Inc.
Defendants:
U.S. Dept of State, John F. Kerry, Directorate of Defense Trade
Controls, Kenneth B. Handelman, Brian H. Nilsson, C. Edward
Peartree, Sarah J. Heidema, Glenn Smith
Plaintiffs Counsel:
Alan Gura, Gura & Possessky, PLLC; Matthew A. Goldstein, Matthew
A. Goldstein, PLLC; William B. Mateja, Polsinelli P.C.; William T.
Tommy Jacks, David Morris, Fish & Richardson P.C.; Josh Blackman
Defendants Counsel:
Loretta Lynch, Michael S. Raab, Daniel Bentele Hahs Tenny, Eric J.
Soskin, Stuart J. Robinson, Richard L. Durban, Benjamin C. Mizer,
Anthony J. Coppolino, Zachary C. Richter, U.S. Department of
Justice
Amici Curiae for Plaintiffs-Appellants
Representative Thomas Massie (Kentucky)
Representative Brian Babin (Texas)
Representative K. Mike Conaway (Texas)
i
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Representative Jeff Duncan (South Carolina)

Representative Blake Farenthold (Texas)
Representative John Fleming (Louisiana)
Representative Paul Gosar (Arizona)
Representative Walter Jones (North Carolina)
Representative Mike Kelly (Pennsylvania)
Representative Steve King (Iowa)
Representative Ral Labrador (Idaho)
Representative Jeff Miller (Florida)
Representative Bill Posey (Florida)
Representative Todd Rokita (Indiana)
Representative Daniel Webster (Florida)
Cato Institute
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Madison Society Foundation, Inc.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression
Counsel for Amici Members of Congress
Raffi Melkonian, Wright & Close, LLP
Counsel for Amicus Curiae Cato Institute
Ilya Shapiro, Randal J. Meyer
Counsel for Amicus Curiae Electronic Frontier Foundation
Kit Walsh, Adam Schwartz
Counsel for Amicus Madison Society Foundation, Inc.
David T. Hardy; Leif A. Olson, The Olson Firm, PLLC
Counsel for Amicus Curiae Reporters Committee:
Bruce D. Brown, Gregg P. Leslie, Hannah Bloch-Wehba
Counsel for Amicus Curiae Texas Public Policy Foundation
Robert Henneke
Joel Stonedale
ii
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Counsel for Amicus Curiae Thomas Jefferson Center

J. Joshua Wheeler
Amicus Curiae for Defendants-Appellees
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
Counsel for Amicus Curiae Brady Center:
John D. Kimball, Martin S. Krezalek, Nicholas R. Tambone, Blank
Rome LLP
/s/ Alan Gura

Alan Gura
iii
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Certificate of Interested Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Table of Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Table of Authorities.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Argument.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
I.
Defendants Fail to Establish Any Congressional

Authority for Their Imposition of a Prior Restraint. . . . . . . 3
II.
Defendants Cannot Reconcile Inconsistent

Government Positions.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
III.
Defendants Content-Based Restrictions Violate

the First Amendment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
A.
Plaintiffs Files Constitute Protected,

Expressive Speech.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
B.
Defendants Prior Restraint Is Plainly Content-Based. . . . 17
C.
Defendants Prior Restraint Fails Heightened Scrutiny. . . 20
D.
The First Amendment Does Not Permit the

Criminalization of Protected Public Speech Absent
A Specific Criminal Intent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
IV.
Defendants Restrictions on the Manufacturing

of Firearms Violate the Second Amendment. . . . . . . . . . . . 28
V.
Defendants Prior Restraint Violates the

Fifth Amendment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
iv
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Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Certificate of Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Certificate of Compliance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Cases
Bond v. United States,
134 S. Ct. 2077 (2014) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Res. Def. Council, Inc.,
467 U.S. 837 (1984). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 8
Christensen v. Harris County,
529 U.S. 576 (2000). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
City of Lakewood v. Plain Dealer Publishing Co.,
486 U.S. 750 (1988) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, Inc.,
535 U.S. 525 (2002). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 20
City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc.,
475 U.S. 41 (1986). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-20
Commodity Futures Trading Commn v. Vartuli,
228 F.3d 94 (2nd Cir. 2000). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Consumer Prod. Safety Commn v. GTE Sylvania, Inc.,
447 U.S. 102 (1980). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
District of Columbia v. Heller,
554 U.S. 570 (2008). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 31
FDIC v. Meyer,
510 U.S. 471 (1994). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project,
561 U.S. 1 (2010). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
vi
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INS v. St. Cyr,

533 U.S. 289 (2001). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Karn v. U.S. Dept of State,
925 F. Supp. 1 (D.D.C. 1996). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Mance v. Holder,
74 F. Supp. 3d 795 (N.D. Tex. 2015). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
New Orleans Depot Servs., Inc. v. Director,
Office of Workers Compensation Programs,
718 F.3d 384 (5th Cir. 2013).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Parker v. District of Columbia,
478 F.3d 370 (D.C. Cir. 2007).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Reed v. Town of Gilbert,
135 S. Ct. 2218 (2015) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-20
Reid v. Covert,
354 U.S. 1 (1957) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union,
521 U.S. 844 (1997) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Silvester v. Harris,
41 F. Supp. 3d 927 (E.D. Cal. 2014). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Simon & Schuster, Inc. v. Members of New York State
Crime Victims Bd., 502 U.S. 105 (1991) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Skidmore v. Swift & Co.,
323 U.S. 134 (1944). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Swan & Finch Co. v. United States,
190 U.S. 143 (1903). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
vii
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United States v. Edler Industries,

579 F.2d 516 (9th Cir. 1978).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 25, 27, 28
United States v. Ehsan,
163 F.3d 855 (4th Cir. 1998).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
United States v. Huynh,
246 F.3d 734 (5th Cir. 2001).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
United States v. Lee,
183 F.3d 1029 (9th Cir. 1999) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
United States v. Marzzarella,
614 F.3d 85 (3d Cir. 2010). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
United States v. OBrien,
391 U.S. 367 (1968) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
United States v. Pulungan,
569 F.3d 326 (7th Cir. 2009).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
United States v. Swarovski,
592 F.2d 131 (2d Cir. 1979) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
United States v. Wu,
711 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 2013). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 36, 37
Statutes and Rules

15 C.F.R. Parts 730-774 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
15 C.F.R. 734.2(b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
15 C.F.R. 746.1(a)(1).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
18 U.S.C. 922(p). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 32
viii
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22 C.F.R. 120.17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
22 U.S.C. 2778(h). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 12
Other Authorities
49 Fed. Reg. 47,682 (Dec. 6, 1984). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Blacks Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Br. Amicus Curiae for the United States,
Reed v. Town of Gilbert, No. 13-502.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
H. Rpt. 96-1540 (Dec. 22, 1980). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Letter of Sen. Daines, et al., to Sec. Kerry & Dep. Asst
Sec. Dearth, Aug. 3, 2015, available at
https://www.daines.senate.gov/imo/media/
doc/ITAR%20 Amendment--Revisions%20
to%20Definitions;%20Data%20Transmission
%20and%20Storage.pdf (last visited Feb. 27, 2016) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Letter of Sens. Johnson & Grassley to Sec. Kerry,
July 16, 2015, available at http://www.
grassley.senate .gov/sites/default/files/judiciary
/upload/2015-07-16%20CEG%20%2B%20
RHJ%20to%20State%20Deparment%20%28
ITAR%29.pdf (last visited Feb. 27, 2016). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Petition for Certiorari,
District of Columbia v. Heller, No. 07-290. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
How to Unblock US Websites Using DNS Proxy,
https://www.smartdnsproxy.com/page/howto-unblock-uswebsites-using-dns-proxy.
aspx#.VtJrm-a37PY (last visited Feb. 27, 2016). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
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APPELLANTS REPLY BRIEF

INTRODUCTION
The Government does not restrict Plaintiffs speech because it
hypothetically relates to undetectable arms.1 The Government restricts
Plaintiffs speech, along with a vast amount of other protected scientific
and technical expression, for falling under a bottomless and murky
definition of arms-related technical data.
There is a world of difference between exporting physical objects,
and disseminating knowledge online about physical objects. And the
concept of scienter, which Defendants would here abolish, reflects the
common-sense distinction between public speech, and the more
nefarious-sounding providing [] files to foreign nationals over the
Internet, Appellees Br. 2. The unavoidable reality that foreign persons
access our public discourse, a public good, does not convert every
expression of knowledge into a controllable act of potential espionage.
Indeed, the Government concedes that as designed, the Liberator

is detectable. ROA.571. Its metal firing pin, and unmistakable gun
shape, would render a Liberator detectable even without its prescribed
metallic insert. The end-product of a Ghost Gunner milling file is a
detectible, metal rifle receiver.
1
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Were this dispute merely about guns, especially guns alleged to be

undetectable, Defendants sudden effort to add to ITAR the prior
restraint that they already claim here to exist would not have drawn
opposition from such diverse commentators as GE, IBM, public
universities, ITAR compliance attorneys, and even former State
Department employees. ROA.728-29, 739, 765, 773, 796-98, 817, 825.
The Association of American Universities, Association of Public and
Land-grant Universities, and Council on Government Relations did not
urge DDTC to withdraw [the prior restraint proposal] or substantially
limit its scope, ROA.765, out of concern for the right to bear arms.
Indeed, the (theoretical) undetectable firearms about which
Defendants complain are already unlawful to manufacture per 18
U.S.C. 922(p), a law implicating neither the First nor Fifth
Amendments, and which is consistent with the Second Amendment.
What Congress did not and could not authorize is a prior-restraint
scheme so broad and malleable that it can be invoked in service of
domestic law enforcement policy agendas under the guise of conducting
foreign relations. This dangerous scheme should be enjoined.
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ARGUMENT
I. DEFENDANTS FAIL TO ESTABLISH ANY CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY
FOR THEIR IMPOSITION OF A PRIOR RESTRAINT.
In 1978, referencing ITARs potential as a prior restraint, the Office
of Legal Counsel believe[d] that a more clear cut indication of
Congressional judgment concerning the need for such a measure is
in order. ROA.240. Nearly forty years later, Defendants offer no
Congressional findings, hearing testimony, or any other legislative
record upon which this Court can conclude that Congress ever intended
to regulate public speech under the AECA.
But that is not to say that Congress has remained silent. In 1980, a
House Subcommittee directed the State Department to address the
constitutional objections identified in the 1978 DOJ memorandum.
ROA.925.2 Amici Members of Congress explain at length how
Defendants interpretation boldly and impermissibly departs from
Congressional intent. See Br. Amicus Curiae of Representative Thomas
Massie, et al. (Congressional Amici) 10. Amici Representatives add
that no enumerated power permits banning domestic publication of
H. Rpt. 96-1540, at 119 (Dec. 22, 1980), available at

http://tinyurl.com/CongressHearing (last visited Feb. 29, 2016).
2
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information. Id. 18-22. For good measure, thirty senators have opposed
Defendants proposed codification of their prior restraint.3
Instead of providing any evidence of Congressional authorization for
their prior restraint, Defendants rely on (1) a broad statement of
authority to control exports of technical data; (2) their belief that
publishing technical data on the Internet is an export; and (3) alleged
deference under Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Res. Def. Council, Inc.,
467 U.S. 837 (1984). Each of these arguments fails.
First, Plaintiffs do not dispute that Defendants have the authority to
license disclosures of technical data in non-public settings, disclosures
of classified information, and direct assistance to foreign nationals with
respect to defense articles.4 But Defendants power to control arms
Letter of Sen. Daines, et al., to Sec. Kerry & Dep. Asst Sec.
Dearth, Aug. 3, 2015, available at https://www.daines.senate.gov/imo/
media/doc/ITAR%20Amendment--Revisions%20to%20Definitions;
%20Data%20Transmission%20and%20Storage.pdf (last visited Feb. 27,
2016) (28 Senators); Letter of Sens. Johnson & Grassley to Sec. Kerry,
July 16, 2015, available at http://www.grassley.senate.gov/sites/default/
files/judiciary/upload/2015-07-16%20CEG%20%2B%20RHJ%20to%20
State%20Deparment%20%28ITAR%29.pdf (last visited Feb. 27, 2016).
3
The term technical data does not appear in the AECA.

However, Defendants include the term in their definition of Defense
Articles in the ITAR. See 22 C.F.R. 120.6.
4
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exports is not unlimited. They cannot take any action, no matter how
broad or severe, merely because it might have the ancillary or
incidental effect of impacting the arms trade. This case does not
concern plans to illicitly aid some foreign actor, but an astonishing
governmental effort to restrict public speech not directed at a specific
person. Before addressing the difficult constitutional questions raised
by Defendants conduct, it is indeed fair to askas OLC once did
whether in enacting the AECA, Congress authorized the Defendants to
impose a prior restraint against public speech.
We begin with the familiar canon of statutory construction that the
starting point for interpreting a statute is the language of the statute
itself. Consumer Prod. Safety Commn v. GTE Sylvania, Inc., 447 U.S.
102, 108 (1980). There is zero evidence that Congress shared
Defendants views of what it means to export something. Export
being undefined in the AECA, this Court must construe [that]
statutory term in accordance with its ordinary or natural meaning.
FDIC v. Meyer, 510 U.S. 471, 476 (1994); New Orleans Depot Servs.,
Inc. v. Director, Office of Workers Compensation Programs, 718 F.3d
384, 391 (5th Cir. 2013).
5
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Defendants argue that an export includes public speech in the

United States, not directed at a particular person, that a foreign person
may see or overhear. But no person who is not a defendant in this
lawsuit would ever ordinarily think that he or she is exporting
information by speaking or publishing in a setting that might be
frequented by foreigners. Defendants definition is far afield from the
plain, well-accepted, and common understanding of export.
Export is . . . a clear term whose ordinary meaning is manifest.
United States v. Ehsan, 163 F.3d 855, 858 (4th Cir. 1998). [A]ll
[definitions of export] make clear that exportation involves the transit
of goods from one country to another for the purpose of trade. Id.
(collecting definitions). Exportation occurs when the goods are shipped
to another country with the intent that they will join the commerce of
that country. United States v. Huynh, 246 F.3d 734, 741 (5th Cir.
2001); Swan & Finch Co. v. United States, 190 U.S. 143, 145 (1903); see
also Congressional Amici 12-14; Blacks Law Dictionary 700 (10th ed.
2014) (defining export, both as noun and verb, as connected to a
goods, merchandise, and/or a commodity).
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Defendants peculiar interpretation of export is also so

counterintuitive that it would lead to (yet more) absurd results.
Consider Defendants interpretation in light of various United States
embargoes on the export of commercial technology controlled under
the Department of Commerce Export Administration Regulations
(EAR), 15 C.F.R. Parts 730-774.5 For Cuba, the embargo extends to
almost all exports of any technical information, regardless of
enumeration on a control list, unless an exception applies. 15 C.F.R.
746.1(a)(1). While the Commerce Department presently heeds a 1984
DOJ opinion not to impose a prior restraint on public speech under the
EAR (ROA.260-262), it may change its position if Defendants prevail,
resulting in a complete online ban of Commerce-regulated technical
informationbecause Cuba has Internet access, as do Cubans located
in various other countries.
Nor do Defendants address the canon of constitutional deference,
which requires this Court to avoid unorthodox applications of common
terms in a manner that creates constitutional questionsunless there
Both the EAR and ITAR definitions of export include oral and
visual disclosures to foreign persons in the U.S. or abroad. See 15
C.F.R. 734.2(b) and 22 C.F.R. 120.17.
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is an express indication that Congress intended such a result. INS v.

St. Cyr, 533 U.S. 289, 299 (2001).
To be sure, Congress knows how to act decisively in this area.
Recently introduced House Resolution 376 would prohibit, inter alia,
the distribution, marketing, and advertising of certain firearm parts in
any medium of electronic communications. While Plaintiffs question
the validity of such a measure, it exemplifies the clear statement of
Congressional intent and legislative process required to authorize a
prior restraint on public speech. Additionally, as amicus observed,
Congress considered (and rejected) changes to the Undetectable
Firearms Act that would have addressed the creation, transport, or sale
of any 3D printed firearm that was not detectable by standard means.
Br. Amicus Curiae of Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF Br.) 27.
That Congress rejected a statute that would have directly addressed
the supposed problem that Defendants statutory construction only
obliquely reaches casts further doubt that Defendants actions are
authorized.
Defendants Chevron deference argument likewise fails. Their prior
restraint cannot carry the force of law because it is not the result of
8
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duly promulgated regulations. The only relevant regulation carrying

the force of law was the State Departments 1984 Federal Register
notice that removed Footnote 3 from the ITAR, expressly stating the
agencys intent to address First Amendment concerns. See 49 Fed. Reg.
47,682, 47,683 (Dec. 6, 1984). In contrast, Defendants interpretation is
only set forth in their letter to Defense Distributed, filings in this case,
and as supplementary information in proposed rulemaking issued after
this case was filed. Such informal interpretations do not carry the force
of law and are only entitled to the deference established in Skidmore v.
Swift & Co., 323 U.S. 134, 140 (1944)which defers to agency
interpretations only to the extent that they have the power to
persuade. Christensen v. Harris County, 529 U.S. 576, 587 (2000). If
Defendants had a responsive argument under Skidmore and
Christensen, they should have briefed it.
The complete absence of a scienter requirement from Defendants
scheme provides yet another reason to find this prior restraint ultra
vires, as a scienter requirement has long been understood to limit the
AECAs reach. United States v. Edler Industries, 579 F.2d 516 (9th Cir.
1978). Accordingly, the Department of Justice has repeatedly
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acknowledged that a prior restraint cannot apply to the dissemination

of technical data by persons having no direct connection with foreign
conduct, in settings in which there is no more than belief or a
reasonable basis for believing (1) that a foreign national may take the
technical data abroad and (2) that the data could be used by someone
there in the manufacture or use of items on the Munitions List.
ROA.255 (1981 DOJ memo), 276 (1984 DOJ memo); see also ROA.309
(1997 DOJ report to Congress, warning that serious constitutional
questions would arise if the Government prohibited publication by
person who merely has reason to know that some unidentified,
unspecified recipient thereof will use the information for an unlawful
purpose, or if such an outcome is the natural consequence of
publication of the information.).
Scienter is a basic element of due process, not a loophole.
Appellees Br. 18. Publishing information into the public domain, as a
means of intentionally transmitting it to a foreign government, would
still be unlawful. Cf. ROA.310 (1997 DOJ Report to Congress,
explaining how scienter requirement restricts particular transactions
without impeding general publications). But Americans cannot be
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silenced merely because their scientific and technical expression might

have value to other governments.
Finally, Defendants misconstrue the essential nature of Plaintiffs
claims by suggesting that 22 U.S.C. 2778(h) bars judicial review of
State Department determinations that files are ITAR technical data.
Appellees Br. 19. First, whether the subject files actually contain
technical data is not the issue. Plaintiffs are challenging a prior
restraint on the publication of technical data, which is not implicated
by Section 2778(h). And Plaintiffs were not required to make any
application under the prior restraint system in order to challenge it.
The Constitution can hardly be thought to deny to one subjected to the
restraints of [a licensing law] the right to attack its constitutionality,
because he has not yielded to its demands. City of Lakewood v. Plain
Dealer Publishing Co., 486 U.S. 750, 756 (1988) (quotation omitted).
As the ordinance [providing for unbridled licensing discretion] is void
on its face, it was not necessary for appellant to seek a permit under it.
Id. (quotation omitted).
Even were this challenge somehow construed as a constitutional
challenge to Defendants decision that the files are technical data,
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Section 2778(h) cannot bar a constitutional attack. Karn v. U.S. Dept

of State, 925 F. Supp. 1, 13 (D.D.C. 1996). Section 2778(h) also does not
apply to ex post facto agency decisions, United States v. Wu, 711 F.3d 1,
17 (1st Cir. 2013), and does not prohibit challenges to determinations
that particular information is subject to the ITAR because [o]nly
material in regulations is covered by that statute and such
individualized determinations are not specifically set forth in the
AECA. United States v. Pulungan, 569 F.3d 326, 328 (7th Cir. 2009).
Defendants prior-restraint scheme is ultra vires.
II.
DEFENDANTS CANNOT RECONCILE INCONSISTENT GOVERNMENT

POSITIONS.
Defendants claim that the Governments myriad, long-held positions
precluding their prior-restraint scheme are all distinguishable; limited

to cryptography, academic settings, dinner party discussions; or
otherwise have no relevance to CAD files. Appellees Br. 29-31.
However, neither the 1981 nor 1984 DOJ memoranda, the 1997 DOJ
Report to Congress, or relevant statements in Bernstein are so limited.
In fact, the 1981 DOJ memorandum specifically references information
related to arms throughout (ROA.244, 248, 250, 252, 254) as well as
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public information on firearms not in excess of .50 caliber. ROA.245246. And in Bernstein, the State Department unconditionally stated,
the Department does not seek to regulate the means themselves by
which information is placed in the public domain. Appellants Add. 23,
26. Although one of the Governments Bernstein pleadings identifies
certain types of information as examples (i.e., Information in the
public domain includes), it does not limit the Governments position
to those types of information. Id. at 29. Nor do Defendants offer an
argument as to why their technical data must be excluded from the
Governments historic position regarding prior restraints.
Setting aside for now (see infra) Defendants misleading suggestion
that CAD files have the exclusive function of facilitat[ing] the
automated production of firearms, Appellees Br. 31, Defendants claim
that the prior government positions are irrelevant because these did
not concern CAD files also ignores the fact that this case involves
design drawings, rendered images, and other technical information on
firearms that are not CAD files. ROA.131 13.
Even if CAD files could automatically produce a firearm (they
cannot), such files are not singled out for special treatment in the DOJ
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opinions, Bernstein, or in ITARs definition of public domain. And

while 3D printing might not have existed in 1978, gunsmithing surely
didas did technical data that foreigners might have found useful in
producing firearms, which was not exempted from DOJs prior-restraint
concerns. Moreover, Defendants prior restraint applies to publications
of any information subject to the ITAR, regardless of where described
on the USML. As such, reason dictates that each of the prior
government positions would apply to any publication of information
subject to the ITAR, regardless of where the information might be
found on the USML.
Defendants are far from the first government officials to have
contemplated ITARs application as a prior restraint. They are,
however, the first to disregard repeated DOJ warnings not to impose
the prior restraint.
III.
A.
DEFENDANTS CONTENT-BASED RESTRICTIONS VIOLATE

THE FIRST AMENDMENT.
Plaintiffs Files Constitute Protected, Expressive Speech.
As a threshold matter, Defendants case hinges on the mistaken

implication that this dispute concerns only CAD files, and the false
assertion that the CAD files are executable, in that they can create a
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functional firearm with a push or click of a button. See, e.g.,

Appellees Br. 14 (This case relates to the export of computer files that
direct a computer, without human intervention, to create components of
an operable firearm.) (emphasis added). For these assertions,
Defendants rely exclusively on the lay declaration of Lisa Aguirre,6 not
a word of which explains how the CAD files can be used to create a
functional firearm, let alone how CAD files can be transformed into a
gun with the click of a button without human intervention.
This is a fantastical description of the technology, lacking any
support in the record. CAD files do not direct a computer to do
anything. [T]o create a physical object based on a CAD file, a third
party must supply additional software to read these files and translate
them into the motions of a 3D print head, the 3D printer itself, and the
necessary physical materials. EFF Br. 10. Beyond printing the
components, the process for creating a Liberator requires additional
craftsmanship, know-how, tools, and materials. ROA.960-996 at 3745. For example, parts of the Liberator must be treated with acetone
Aguirres declaration appears without a curriculum vitae or any

indication of her qualifications.
6
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vapor to render them functional. ROA.972, 22-25. Just as

Defendants failed to introduce any evidence to explain their view of 3D
printing, they failed to dispute (other than by unfounded post-hoc
assertions) Plaintiffs description of the Liberator creation process.
Quite simply, Defendants claim that allowing the distribution of
the computer files at issue here is tantamount to permitting the
dissemination of the firearms themselves, Appellees Br. 13, is
unfounded. The files are not automatically transmogrified into a
firearm; data is not tantamount to the actual gun. Unlike, for
example, software-generated currency trading instructions telling users
that they must follow the signals with no second guessing,
Commodity Futures Trading Commn v. Vartuli, 228 F.3d 94, 111 (2nd
Cir. 2000), Plaintiffs open source files invite the users mind to
intercede, modify and customize the code and any related construction
of a gun or gun part. More fundamentally, even were Plaintiffs files
functional, they would still be expressive in that they convey
information as between, and are understandable by, humans. See
ROA.335-36. And this case involves more than CAD (and CNC) files.
ROA.20-21, 37, 38; 131, 13, 133-34, 3, 4; ROA.135-36, 4, 5;
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ROA.137-38, 4, 5. Plaintiffs challenge Defendants prior restraint as

applied to design drawings, rendered images, written manufacturing
instructions, and other technical information.
B.
Defendants Prior Restraint Is Plainly Content-Based.
Notwithstanding their steadfast insistence that ITAR is contentneutral, Defendants admit that they impose their prior restraint based
on the content of Plaintiffs speech. See, e.g., Appellants Br. 17
(claiming ITAR control because the files relate to the creation of
firearms that appear on the U.S. Munitions List.). Defendants
commodity jurisdiction process further evidences how their prior
restraint is content-based, because it requires an in-depth case-by-case
review of content to determine whether ITAR, and hence, the prior
restraint applies. See 22 C.F.R. 120.4.
There is no escaping the fact that such [a] law that is content based
on its face is subject to strict scrutiny regardless of the governments
benign motive, content-neutral justification, or lack of animus toward
the ideas contained in the regulated speech. Reed v. Town of Gilbert,
135 S. Ct. 2218, 2228 (2015) (quotation omitted). And a speech
regulation targeted at a specific subject matter is content based even if
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it does not discriminate among viewpoints within that subject matter.

Id. at 2230 (quotation omitted).
Notwithstanding Reeds clear application to this case, Defendants
cling to the notion that screening speech for arms-related technical
data is content-neutral, invoking United States v. OBrien, 391 U.S.
367 (1968) and City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc., 475 U.S. 41
(1986). But neither doctrine aids this effort.
OBrien is plainly inapplicable, as this case presents no non-speech
conduct. Plaintiffs are not burning a draft card, or dancing, or
partaking of any allegedly expressive physical acts. Defendants may
conflate exporting firearms with providing the means for their
production abroad, Appellees Br. 22, but the only means here is
knowledge, which is provided by the simple act of speaking. Of course,
at some level, speaking and writing are physical activities, requiring
the movement of lips and hands. But uploading files to the Internet is
no more conduct than is the act of typing a novel.
Defendants Renton argument fares no better. Renton held that the
government could single-out theaters based on their programming
content and still be thought of as neutrally-regulating only for so-called
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secondary effects. Renton would appear to have been overruled by

Reed, and indeed, the Government unsuccessfully argued in Reed that
Renton called for the application of intermediate scrutiny in that case.
Br. Amicus Curiae for the United States, Reed v. Town of Gilbert, No.
13-502, at 18-20.7 But there is no need to go that far. Assuming Renton
survived Reed, it is simply inapposite because Rentons secondary
effects doctrine addresses just thatsecondary effectswhile
Defendants complaint with Plaintiffs speech relates to its primary
effects.
Justice Kennedys controlling opinion in City of Los Angeles v.
Alameda Books, Inc., 535 U.S. 525 (2002), helpfully explained the
difference between primary and secondary effects of speech:
Speech can produce tangible consequences: It can change minds. It
can prompt actions. These primary effects signify the power and the
necessity of free speech. Speech can also cause secondary effects,
however, unrelated to the impact of the speech on its audience. A
newspaper factory may cause pollution, and a billboard may obstruct
a view. These secondary consequences are not always immune from
regulation by zoning laws even though they are produced by speech.
Available at http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/
publications/supreme_court_preview/BriefsV4/13-502_pet_amcu_usa.a
uthcheckdam.pdf
7
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Id. at 444 (Kennedy, J., concurring).8 The making of guns using

knowledge gleaned from Plaintiffs speech is a primary effect of that
speechit is a prompted action demonstrating the speechs power,
and not one unrelated to the impact of the speech on its audience.
The Government acts in a content-neutral fashion when it targets
secondary, not primary effects. Dubbing every targeted primary effect a
secondary effect would enable the Government to eliminate strict
scrutiny for content-based restrictions altogether. Simon & Schuster,
Inc. v. Members of New York State Crime Victims Bd., 502 U.S. 105,
120 (1991) (the Board has taken the effect of the statute and posited
that effect as the States interest. If accepted, this sort of circular
defense can sidestep judicial review of almost any statute, because it
makes all statutes look narrowly tailored.). Notably, that was not the
Supreme Courts approach in Reed.
C.
Defendants Prior Restraint Fails Heightened Scrutiny.
There is no point belaboring the argument for strict scrutiny, but

Defendants prior restraint would fail any level of heightened review.
The difference helps explain why Renton has apparently not been
applied beyond the adult speech arena.
8
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Plaintiffs have never asserted that a regulatory scheme is

unconstitutional unless enforcement action is taken in every case,
Appellees Br. 38, and this lawsuit contains no selective prosecution
claims. Plaintiffs have, however, stressed that underinclusiveness is a
feature of means-ends scrutiny, both because it tends to show poor
constitutional fit, and because it belies the Defendants claims that
they are truly concerned about foreign powers accessing American
citizens 3D printing files.
The Governments ability to selectively target disfavored speakers is
also a chief evil of arbitrary prior restraints. Tellingly, Defendants
neither suggest that they will shut down any of the other numerous
websites hosting firearm printing files (including Defense Distributeds
files),9 nor do they deny politically targeting Defense Distributed.
Defendants ever-evolving explanation of why this prior restraint
does not, in fact, prohibit vast amounts of online and other public
See e.g., www.jamesrpatrick.com; www.cncguns.com;

www.optimusdefense.com; www.biggerhammer.net; www.yeggi.com;
www.grabcad.com; www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/free-printing-3dmodel/761509; https://grabcad.com/library/liberator-pistol-38-1; see also
Google searches for 3D AR-15 CAD Lower. Many sites also offer
instruction on making more traditional, non-3D printed guns. See, e.g.,
www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Real-Gun
9
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speech confirms its broad scope. Below, they suggested that Plaintiffs
merely filter access to their websites to domestic IP addresses.
ROA.523, n.4. However, as any unintentional disclosure to a foreign
person is a strict liability offense under ITAR, relying on IP address
filtering to keep oneself on the right side of the law is hardly prudent.
IP addresses can be faked (spoofed) quite easily, allowing foreign
nationals to access files on the Internet domestically or abroad at
Plaintiffs peril.10 And, even were Plaintiffs somehow able to limit
access to domestic IP addresses, there is no way to stop a foreign
person from looking at (or using) a U.S.-based internet connection.
Every embassy in Washington is just steps away from free, domestic IP
WiFi.11
Defendants brief here does not invoke IP filtering, suggesting only
that Defense Distributed mak[e] the files available for U.S. citizens to
It doesnt take James Bonds Q to access geographically
restricted websites. Applications for defeating geo-blocking are readily
found on the Internet. See, e.g., How to Unblock US Websites Using
DNS Proxy, https://www.smartdnsproxy.com/page/how-to-unblock-uswebsites-using-dns-proxy.aspx#.VtJrm-a37PY (last visited Feb. 27,
2016).
10
Defendants below also suggested that Plaintiffs could personally

deliver or mail technical data CDs to verified citizens, ROA.897, l. 1014, a woefully obsolete, ineffective mode of communication.
11
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download on the Internet . . . by verifying the citizenship status of

those interested in the files, or by any other means adequate to ensure
that the files are not disseminated to foreign nationals. Appellees Br.
20. But they do not explain how this is supposed to happen. Or why
Americans are not free to disseminate their own technical data in any
public forum without verifying each attendees nationality.
Critically, the State Department has never beforeincluding in its
latest proposed notice for rulemakingoffered citizen-verificationfiltering as an acceptable method to publish files to the Internet (much
less a safe harbor). For its part, Defense Distributed repeatedly sought
guidance on ITAR compliance to no avail. ROA.335-39, 394-401,
433-35. In any event, it is not Plaintiffs burden to ensure that
prohibited persons will not come into contact with their speech. Reno v.
American Civil Liberties Union, 521 U.S. 844, 865-67 (1997) (discussing
access by minors); EFF Br. 30.
While the impact of Defendants prior restraint is broad and severe,
the justifications for it remain unpersuasive. Public speech containing
technical data is not a new phenomenon, and our nation has gotten
along well enough for many years without an ITAR-inflicted prior
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restraint. And Americans scientific and technical output has long been
susceptible of being employed by bad actors throughout the world. All
information, not just that related to arms, might be helpful to villains.
Terrorist groups dependent on oil revenues, for example, might find
useful all manner of Americans speech concerning geology or
petroleum engineering. But this is not enough to justify a prior
restraint.
Even less persuasive are Defendants arguments alleging that
Plaintiffs public speech could damage U.S. foreign relations with
other nations. Appellees Br. at 23. Other nations, claim Defendants,
might be offended if Americans dont watch what they say about gunmakinga traditional American pursuit secured by our Bill of
Rightsas such information might destabilize their regimes. Since
when are Americans silenced to please foreign leaders? Had Chinese
authorities, offended by Americans online discussion of uncomfortable
issues (Tiananmen Square massacre, conquest of Tibet, repression of
the Falun Gong, etc.), threatened negative consequences for our
relations with that highly consequential nation, would that justify a
prior restraint? Respectfully, the Presidents role in foreign relations in
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no way enhances his executive power, and does not allow him to violate
clearly established constitutional rights. [N]o agreement with a foreign
nation can confer power on the Congress, or on any other branch of
Government, which is free from the restraints of the Constitution.
Reid v. Covert, 354 U.S. 1, 16 (1957) (plurality); Bond v. United States,
134 S. Ct. 2077, 2101 (2014) (Scalia, J., concurring) (We would not give
the Government support of the Holland principle the time of day were
we confronted with treaty-implementing legislation that abrogated the
freedom of speech or some other constitutionally protected individual
right.).
D.
The First Amendment Does Not Permit the

Criminalization of Protected Public Speech
Absent a Specific Criminal Intent.
As Plaintiffs have shown, courts and government officials have long

recognized that the First Amendment demands a scienter requirement
if public speech were to be criminalized. See, e.g., Edler, supra;
ROA.255, 309.
Undaunted, Defendants insist that there is no distinction between
generalized public speech that might assist foreign powers, and a direct
effort to provide such illicit aid. For this proposition, Defendants look to
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support in Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, 561 U.S. 1 (2010),

which upheld a restriction on the provision of aid to terrorist groups in
the form of speech. Defendants should have looked elsewhere.
Reviewing the law there at issue, the Supreme Court noted that most
importantly, Congress has avoided any restriction on independent
advocacy, or indeed any activities not directed to, coordinated with, or
controlled by foreign terrorist groups. Id. at 5-6. Upholding the
Governments ability to bar assistance to terrorist groups, the Court
offered this important qualification:
In particular, we in no way suggest that a regulation of independent
speech would pass constitutional muster, even if the Government
were to show that such speech benefits foreign terrorist
organizations.
Id. at 39. Even if Plaintiffs independent speech, not directed to,
coordinated with or controlled by foreign agents, were to somehow be
beneficial to such foreign agents, it could not be so restricted.12
The government cites Defense Distributeds mission statement,

which includes facilitating global access to certain files as evidence of
plaintiffs intent. Appellees Br. 10. This argument proves too much.
Defense Distributed has no specific intent to share their files with any
specific foreign nationals, let alone for any subversive purpose, but
makes the files available on the Internet for collaboration and as a
mode of political expression.
12
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Equally wrong, but also unsettling, is Defendants attempt to

distinguish Edlers imposition of a scienter requirement on the grounds
that firearms are inherently illicit. Quoting the Ninth Circuits
observation that when information could have both peaceful and
military applications, . . . the defendant must know or have reason to
know that its information is intended for the prohibited use, Edler,
579 F.2d at 521, Defendants offer that this limitation . . . has no
application here, because the files at issue here plainly are useful
only for the creation of firearms, and are plainly intended for that use.
Appellees Br. 26. However, there is nothing inherently illegal about
manufacturing a firearm for personal use and Americans lawfully keep
and use firearms for non-military applications, including self-defense,
hunting, and sport, none of which are prohibited. Certainly, it cannot
be assumed that Plaintiffs, by publicly sharing gunsmithing knowledge,
evince any particular intent to assist in the foreign production of
controlled munitions.
Further, Defendants ignore the qualifying language of Edler that
follows the language upon which they rely, which confines application
of ITAR to control the conduct of assisting foreign enterprises to obtain
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military equipment and related technical expertise. Edler, 579 F.2d at

521. As noted above, the DOJ has repeatedly acknowledged this
requirement i.e., that a prior restraint on public speech cannot apply
to the mere dissemination of ITAR technical data by persons having no
direct connection with foreign conduct.
IV.
DEFENDANTS RESTRICTIONS ON THE MANUFACTURING OF FIREARMS

VIOLATE THE SECOND AMENDMENT.
Unlike amicus curiae Brady Center, Defendants wisely do not waste

time denying the obvious Second Amendment right to make arms.
Bradys hyper-literal reading of the Second Amendments operative
clause, by which the Amendment secures only the keeping and
bearing of arms and nothing else, is specious. Plaintiffs have offered
more than enough support for the traditional right to make the arms
whose keeping and bearing the Second Amendment protects, and
amicus curiae Madison Society Foundation, whose brief Brady ignores,
painstakingly surveys the history underlying this specific aspect of the
right to keep and bear arms. America may have been a largely agrarian
society in 1791, but Americans arms did not grow on trees. They were
made by private citizens.
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The creation of firearms was very much a home brew operation.

Br. Amicus Curiae for Madison Society Foundation 5. Because there
were no stores to acquire guns, the right to keep and bear arms was
intrinsically linked to homemade weapons, custom designed for an
individuals specific needs. Colonial-era statutes commonly recognized
. . . that in time of need, virtually anyone who could work metal or
wood could function as a gunsmith. Id. at 10. During the
Revolutionary War, many local blacksmiths turned [into] gunsmiths.
Id. Even after gun manufactures entered the marketplace around the
Civil War, Americans continued to craft their own guns. This longstanding practice establishes the foundation for the constitutional right
not just to buy a gun in a store, but to make ones own arms.13
Instead of challenging this history head-on, Defendants claim that
they can restrict gun-making speech because Plaintiffs would still have
access to other guns. Washington, D.C. attempted this argument,
Bradys theory that would bootstrap the presumptive validity of

longstanding commercial restrictions on the sale of arms, into
authorization for the complete prohibition on the acquisition of arms,
has been rejected. United States v. Marzzarella, 614 F.3d 85, 92 n.8 (3d
Cir. 2010); Mance v. Holder, 74 F. Supp. 3d 795, 807 n.8 (N.D. Tex.
2015).
13
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reasoning that it could ban too-dangerous handguns because it

tolerated some long guns. The D.C. Circuit dismissed the argument as
frivolous. Parker v. District of Columbia, 478 F.3d 370, 400 (D.C. Cir.
2007), affd sub nom District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008).
It could be similarly contended that all firearms may be banned so
long as sabers were permitted. Once it is determinedas we have
donethat handguns are Arms referred to in the Second
Amendment, it is not open to the District to ban them.
Id. (citation omitted).
Undeterred, District of Columbia officials presented the Supreme
Court with the following question on certiorari: Whether the Second
Amendment forbids the District of Columbia from banning private
possession of handguns while allowing possession of rifles and
shotguns. Petition for Certiorari, District of Columbia v. Heller, No.
07-290. Heller successfully challenged this question as not accurately
reflecting the issues in the case, and the Supreme Court adopted a very
different Question Presented along the lines Heller proposed, namely,
whether the citys laws violated the Second Amendment.
On the merits, the Supreme Court rejected the alternative arms
argument.
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It is no answer to say . . . that it is permissible to ban the possession

of handguns so long as the possession of other firearms (i.e., long
guns) is allowed. It is enough to note, as we have observed, that the
American people have considered the handgun to be the
quintessential self-defense weapon.
Heller, 554 U.S. at 629.
Similarly, the right to have a handgun is not diminished by the fact
that one keeps, or has access to, other handguns. Just as the First
Amendment does not allow the rationing of books or deities, the Second
Amendment, without more, does not permit the rationing of handguns.
Cf. Silvester v. Harris, 41 F. Supp. 3d 927, 962 n.33 (E.D. Cal. 2014).
Nor does it matter that 3D printing technology is in its infancy, and
that printed guns may not yet be common. Few firearms today are
made using 1791 technology, but handguns, however they might be
manufactured, and whatever technological advances they contain, have
served the same essential function since before the Second
Amendments ratification. The common use test allows for innovation.
It is not circular, protecting only those arms that have attained
common usage before they could be banned by Bradys government
allies. Rather, it reflects expectations of what arms might be in
common use for traditional lawful purposes. Handguns were not in
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common lawful use in the Washington, D.C. of 2008, but the Court
could look to American experience and expectations and strike down
Washingtons handgun ban.
Brady correctly notes that some courts have gone beyond common
use, and applied various balancing tests to sanction the prohibition of
arms of the kind in common use for traditional lawful purposes. Those
courts erred. Heller plainly stands for the proposition that if an arm
passes the common use test, it cannot be banned. The Court employed
no balancing test to see if handguns were too dangerous to allow
notwithstanding their common use status. But even so, this case does
not address any particular arm, but rather the knowledge and means of
making arms. The Government already requires that guns contain a
minimum detectable metal content. 18 U.S.C. 922(p). If it wished to
regulate some other aspects of 3D printed guns, e.g., by requiring their
serialization or licensing their manufacture, that would be another
story. But restricting the dissemination of practical gunsmithing
knowledge that citizens would apply in the traditional making of arms
plainly violates the Second Amendment.
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DEFENDANTS PRIOR RESTRAINT VIOLATES THE FIFTH AMENDMENT.

The DOPSR review process is a black box. The law does not
establish a timeline, standard of review, or appeals processand

Defendants do not dispute this. Under the auspices of broad national
security exceptions, Defendants acknowledge that they can override
DDTCs license processing deadlines. There is also no dispute that
ITAR prohibits judicial review of license determinations.
Acknowledging that no mechanism exists to challenge these stealth
proceedings, Defendants now claim for the first time on appeal that
Defense Distributed has not sought a license and presents only
general arguments about the pace of licensing decisions, without any
factual context. Appellees Br. 34. This is flatly contradicted by the
record. Defense Distributed submitted multiple requests for DOPSR
prepublication approval. ROA.130-31, 8, 10; ROA.410-24. DOPSR
refused to consider one request without a commodity jurisdiction
determination. After sitting on other requests for months, DOPSR
refused to issue a decision, directing plaintiff to the DDTC Compliance
and Enforcement Division for guidance. ROA.130-31, 10; ROA.426-31.
Determined to explore every avenue to a license, Defense Distributed
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wrote to Defendants for guidance, but Defendants never responded.

ROA.131, 11; ROA.433-456.
Defendants also did not address government reports indicating that
commodity jurisdiction determinations languish at DDTC for half a
year or more awaiting final determinations. ROA.163-68, 211-13, 221.
Instead, they try to divorce the time involved in obtaining a commodity
jurisdiction determination from their licensing schemeclaiming that
there is no legal obligation to submit a commodity jurisdiction request.
Appellees Br. 35. But Defendants ad hoc licensing regime requires a
commodity jurisdiction determination in two principal wayswith the
practical effect of extending the time for license determinations by
several months to a year or more.
First, the government effectively requires a commodity jurisdiction
request before it will even consider certain license requestsas
evidenced in this case, when DOPSR refused to consider Defense
Distributeds request for prepublication approval without a preliminary
commodity jurisdiction determination. ROA.130, 8; ROA.391-92.
Second, it is often impossible to determine whether a license is required
without submitting a commodity jurisdiction request because the scope
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of information on firearms subject to ITAR control is unclear. For

instance, a search of the State Department commodity jurisdiction
determination webpage14 under the words firearm, picatinny,
magazine or grip reveals how Defendants decisions on whether
such items and associated information are subject to the USML vary
considerably. Complicating matters further, there are no publicly
stated reasons for inclusion or exclusion. It is against this uncertain
regulatory background, punishable by up 20 years in prison, that
Defense Distributed and SAFs members must decide whether to
submit a commodity jurisdiction request or assume the risk of their
own interpretations.
Defendants argue that Plaintiffs speech is clearly described on the
USML. Appellees Br. 35-37. Were it so clear, it would not have taken
two years and a federal lawsuit to unlodge a commodity jurisdiction
ruling relating to this speech. And it is not at all clear that ITAR
contains a prior restraint. ITAR makes no mention of public speech,
and Defendants fail to explain how members of the public, the vast
See www.pmddtc.state.gov/commodity_jurisdiction/
determinationAll.html
14
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majority of which are not involved in international trade, would have

any reason to suspect Defendants unorthodox interpretations of the
terms export and public domain. To the contrary, as noted above,
Defendants have in the past said there was no prior restraint, have
never enforced the prior restraint, and even ITAR compliance attorneys
and other sophisticated industry members disagree with Defendants
claim that the ITAR applies to public speechlargely because any hint
of a prior restraint was removed in 1984 to avoid First Amendment
concerns. Aggravating this situation, Defendants can subject anything
to their prior restraint, without notice, under USML Category XXIa
secret list held only in their hip pocket.15
Defendants reliance on Wu, supra, 711 F.3d 1, is misplaced. Wu did
not involve Defendants prior restraint on technical data. Moreover, the
defendant in Wu was an international businesswoman that the court
held to a higher degree of sophistication than the general public. Id. at
Defendants do not post commodity jurisdiction determinations

for Category XXI and, according to them, the only way to know if
Category XXI applies is through a commodity jurisdiction
determination or an official letter from Defendant Peartree. See
www.pmddtc.state.gov/licensing/documents/WebNotice_CatXXI.pdf
15
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14. Ironically, the fact the court in Wu felt the need to draw such a
distinction provides further support for Plaintiffs void for vagueness
claim because it illustrates how courts do not ascribe any particular
knowledge of the ITAR to members of the public who have no
connection to international trade. See also United States v. Lee, 183
F.3d 1029, 1032 (9th Cir. 1999) (The regulation at issue is directed to a
relatively small group of sophisticated international businessmen);
United States v. Swarovski, 592 F.2d 131, 133 (2d Cir. 1979) (We are
dealing here with a regulation of limited scope aimed at a small and
relatively sophisticated group of persons.).
CONCLUSION
A preliminary injunction against ITARs enforcement as a prior
restraint is warranted.
Dated: February 29, 2016
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Matthew Goldstein

Matthew Goldstein
Matthew A. Goldstein, PLLC
1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
10th Floor
Washington, DC 20009
202.550.0040/Fax 202.683.6679
/s/ Alan Gura

Alan Gura
Counsel of Record
GURA & POSSESSKY, PLLC
916 Prince Street, Suite 107
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.835.9085/Fax 703.997.7665
37
Case: 15-50759
Document: 00513400133
/s/ William B. Mateja

William B. Mateja
POLSINELLI P.C.
2950 N. Harwood, Suite 2100
Dallas, TX 75201
214.397.0030/Fax 214.397.0033
Page: 49
/s/ Josh Blackman

Josh Blackman
1303 San Jacinto Street
Houston, TX 77002
202.294.9003/Fax 713.646.1766
/s/ David S. Morris

William T. Tommy Jacks
David S. Morris
FISH & RICHARDSON P.C.
One Congress Plaza, Suite 810
111 Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701
512.472.5070/Fax 512.320.8935
38
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
On this, the 29th day of February, 2016, I electronically filed the
attached Brief with the Clerk of the Court for the United States
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by using the CM/ECF system.
Participants in this appeal are registered CM/ECF users who will be
served by the CM/ECF system on February 29, 2016.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and
correct.
Executed this the 29th day of February, 2016.
/s/ Alan Gura

Alan Gura
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Page: 51
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH TYPE-VOLUME LIMITATION,

TYPEFACE REQUIREMENTS, AND TYPE STYLE REQUIREMENTS
1. This brief complies with the type-volume limitation of Fed. R.
App. P. 32(a)(7)(B)(i) because this brief contains 6,983 words,
excluding the parts of the brief exempted by Fed. R. App. P.
32(a)(7)(B)(iii).
2. This brief complies with the typeface requirements of Fed. R. App.
P. 32(a)(5) and the type style requirements of Fed. R. App. P.
32(a)(6) because this brief has been prepared in a proportionately
spaced typeface using WordPerfect X4 in 14 point Century
Schoolbook font.
/s/ Alan Gura
Alan Gura
Attorney for Plaintiffs-Appellants
Dated: February 29, 2016
40

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Case: 15-50759

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Case No. 15-50759

February 29, 2016

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Additional Counsel for Appellants

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PERSONS

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Representative Jeff Duncan (South Carolina)

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Counsel for Amicus Curiae Thomas Jefferson Center

/s/ Alan Gura

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Defendants Fail to Establish Any Congressional

Defendants Cannot Reconcile Inconsistent

Defendants Content-Based Restrictions Violate

Plaintiffs Files Constitute Protected,

Defendants Prior Restraint Is Plainly Content-Based. . . . 17

Defendants Prior Restraint Fails Heightened Scrutiny. . . 20

The First Amendment Does Not Permit the

Defendants Restrictions on the Manufacturing

Defendants Prior Restraint Violates the

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

INS v. St. Cyr,

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

United States v. Edler Industries,

Statutes and Rules

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

APPELLANTS REPLY BRIEF

Indeed, the Government concedes that as designed, the Liberator

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Were this dispute merely about guns, especially guns alleged to be

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

H. Rpt. 96-1540, at 119 (Dec. 22, 1980), available at

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

The term technical data does not appear in the AECA.

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Defendants argue that an export includes public speech in the

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Defendants peculiar interpretation of export is also so

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

is an express indication that Congress intended such a result. INS v.

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

duly promulgated regulations. The only relevant regulation carrying

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

acknowledged that a prior restraint cannot apply to the dissemination

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

silenced merely because their scientific and technical expression might

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Section 2778(h) cannot bar a constitutional attack. Karn v. U.S. Dept

DEFENDANTS CANNOT RECONCILE INCONSISTENT GOVERNMENT

precluding their prior-restraint scheme are all distinguishable; limited

Date Filed: 02/29/2016

Date Filed: 02/29/2016