Police believe the unusual firearm used to kill United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a 'ghost gun,' the same type of do-it-yourself firearm that has spurred debate across the country.
A 'ghost gun' is a do-it-yourself weapon, often created through a kit or a 3-D printer. The homemade firearms are largely untraceable, lacking defining features such as serial numbers. In October, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments about a 2022 federal regulation requiring manufacturers of such kits to perform background checks and mark weapons with serial numbers. The court has not yet ruled on the challenge to the federal regulation.
The gun Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested with at a McDonald's in Altoona, Penn. appeared to have been made with a 3-D printer. Police also found fake identification cards, and seized a firearm and silencer. Both appeared to be made with a 3-D printer, according to USA Today.
Mangione has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a firearm, according to PEOPLE.
Ghost guns have increasingly become a concern for law enforcement, with the number of suspected ghost guns recovered and submitted to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives increasing by more than 1,000% between 2017 and 2021. The number more than doubled from 2020 to 2021, USA Today reported.
"This news is yet another reminder that ghost guns are a dream come true for criminals who want to avoid detection, and a nightmare for anyone tasked with stopping them," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. "Ghost guns look like a regular gun, shoot like a regular gun, and kill like a regular gun — so our lawmakers must ensure they continue to be regulated like regular guns."
Gun rights activists have stated that the federal requirement oversteps and infringes on the right to bear arms.
"The statutory definition focuses on weapons and the frames or receivers of weapons; ATF's Rule expands the definition to include weapon parts kits and items that cannot function as frames or receivers. This expanded definition upsets the delicate balance struck by Congress between the commercial production and sale of firearms and the non-commercial making of firearms by law-abiding citizens," a court filing in the challenge to the federal regulation stated.
