What is a ghost gun, the weapon allegedly linked to the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO?
Dec 11, 2024, 8:16 PM
FILE - A 9mm "ghost gun" pistol build kit with a commercial slide and barrel with a polymer frame is displayed in the Rose Garden of the White House, April 11, 2022, in Washington. (Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press)
(Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press)
SALT LAKE CITY — After arresting Luigi Mangione for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, New York Police said they found a ghost gun in Mangione’s possession.
According to New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, it was a 9-millimeter handgun and silencer that may have been made with a 3D printer.
What is a ghost gun?
The term “ghost gun” comes from gun groups who wanted to disparage firearms made by hobbyists, said Clark Aposhian, chairman of the Utah Shooting Sports Council.
One big characteristic of ghost guns is that they are largely untraceable. According to the Wall Street Journal, they lack serial numbers, and buyers do not have to complete a background check.
They don’t have serial numbers because they don’t have anything to do with commerce, said Aposhian.
Another key factor is that they often are a combination of 3D-printed and traditionally manufactured parts. 3D printers are now widely available to the public, which makes it easier for people to “make” all kinds of things, including guns.
How does it connect to this case?
Aposhian pointed out that anyone can legally print and own a ghost gun as long as they are not a “prohibited person.”
A prohibited person is someone who can no longer carry a gun due to being guilty of a crime involving a gun. In this case, Mangione was not.
According to the ATF, there are other types of people who cannot be in possession of firearms. For example, anyone who is “an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” cannot legally receive or possess firearms.
“Since he took [the ghost gun] with him and he had no intention of getting caught, it wouldn’t have been traced,” said Aposhian. “These guns are only in play if they leave them at the scene and then the police get them and they can’t trace [it] via a serial number.”
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