Luigi Mangione’s ‘Ghost Gun’ Shows How Far 3D Printed Guns Have Come

More than a decade after the 3D-printed gun emerged as a nightmare for libertarianism and gun control, police say one of those homemade plastic weapons has now been found in the hands of perhaps the world’s most famous suspected murderer spent years honing Those printable firearm models are actually the gun police claim Luigi Mangione used to do United Healthcare CEO Brian Thomson was fatally shot is as recognizable as the now-famous alleged shooter himself, and shows just how practical and deadly these weapons have become.

Within 24 hours of police releasing a photo of Mangione’s gun after the 26-year-old’s arrest Monday, the online 3D-printed firearms community was quick to identify the suspected murder weapon as a custom print model. “ghost gun”, a homemade weapon without a serial number, created by assembling a mix of commercial and DIY parts. The gun appears to be a Chairmanwon V1, a modification of the partially 3D-printed Glock design known as the FMDA 19.2, an acronym that stands for “Free men don’t ask” motto.

The FMDA 19.2, due in 2021, is a relatively old model by 3D-printed pistol standards, says a gunsmith who goes by the name John and the online handle Mr. Snow Makes: But it’s one of the most popular and well-tested ghost rifle designs, he says. from that original design, except that another amateur gunsmith, going by the pseudonym Chairmanwon, has a different texture. added to the gun.

“It’s a bit of an odd choice for someone who’s been building guns like this for five years. We build nicer models,” says Mr. Snow Makes, who runs an annual ghost gun competition. But he adds is that “this is one of the earliest styles of 3D-printed Glock that has been extensively tested and succeeded in creating a reliably functional firearm.”

On Monday, New York authorities charged Mangione with Thompson’s slaying on Dec. 4, as well as with weapons and other alleged crimes in Pennsylvania handwritten “manifesto” Police say they have discovered after Mangione’s arrest that the practices of United Healthcare and the US health insurance industry more broadly. Bullet casings found at the scene of the shooting near the Hilton Midtown hotel in Manhattan were reportedly marked ” deny’, ‘defend’, ‘overthrow’, perhaps criticizing the practices of the health sector.

The fact that even a relatively old model of 3D-printed firearm allegedly allowed Mangione to shoot Thompson multiple times on a Manhattan street, arguably the most famous shooting ever with a ghost gun or 3D-printed weapon, shows just how far are DIY guns.The technology has arrived, says Cody Wilson, founder of the gun rights group Distributed. Unlike 3D printing the earliest pistol models, the FDMA 19.2, can be fired hundreds or even thousands of times without breaking its plastic components.