WASHINGTON — A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order, stopping the release of downloadable blueprints for 3D printed guns, which would be allowed to be released on Wednesday.

The judge in Seattle issued the order after eight Democratic state attorneys general, along with the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit seeking to block the blueprints' release, calling them a safety risk.

Austin, Texas-based Defense Distributed had reached a settlement with the State Dept. in June that would allow it to make the plastic gun blueprints available for download online. 

"They are undetectable, they are untraceable," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. "These ghost guns are a new wave of American gun violence."

The State Dept. had ordered the company to stop its sales back in 2013. 

Last week State Secretary Mike Pompeo promised a Senate committee that he would look into the deal.

Democrats tried to pass a bill Tuesday in the Senate to outlaw the sale of the blueprints and called on President Trump to issue an immediate executive order to stop the blueprints from going live. It was blocked by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, saying he had First Amendment concerns.

President Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that he would look into the guns: 

Republican leaders say existing laws on the books already outlaw the private manufacturing of guns and undetectable firearms, and require any firearm made to contain metal.

Gun advocates say the guns are tedious and expensive to make, and don't hold up well.

Meanwhile, some blueprints are already available online, and it's estimated that the blueprints have been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times.

"This is what we're up against in evading the detection systems, which is a direct threat to national security and our personal safety," said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida.

Chris Cox, Executive Director of the National Rifle Association’s legislative arm, issued this statement:

"Regardless of what a person may be able to publish on the internet, undetectable plastic guns have been illegal for 30 years.  Federal law passed in 1988, crafted with the NRA's support, makes it unlawful to manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive an undetectable firearm."

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. Spectrum News reporter Jeevan Vittal contributed to this story.