Firearms expert reveals dark secrets about Luigi Mangione's 3D-printed 'ghost gun'
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The man charged with the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO was arrested with what officials described as a 3D-printed 'ghost gun' fitted with a suppressor. Luigi Mangione, 26, was taken into custody at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania Monday following a six-day manhunt for the shooter of Brian Thompson.
![[The weapon found on Mangione would mark the first known assassination in the US involving a 3D-printed firearm if the the gun was used in the murder]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/10/20/93011127-14178483-The_weapon_found_on_Mangione_would_mark_the_first_known_assassin-a-9_1733861486365.jpg)
An evidence photo of the gun shows what appears to be a 3D-printed Glock 19 Gen3 9mm frame made from glass nylon fibers, according to a gun expert who goes by the name Print Shoot Repeat online. But while people can print ready-made guns using expensive 3D printing machines, officials have suggested that Mangione's weapon was likely assembled at home from individual parts that are bought online.
![[A 3D printing gun expert has confirmed that the potential murder weapon was made of 3D-printed parts but noted that the slide 'was not 3D-printed']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/10/20/93009655-14178483-A_3D_printing_gun_expert_has_confirmed_that_the_potential_murder-a-10_1733861486403.jpg)
These so-called 'ghost guns' can be obtained without background checks and do not have serial numbers, making them an ideal weapon for criminals. The firearm in question, described as being 3D printed, was likely a hybrid design that combined the homemade frame with traditional metal components like springs and tubing, Print Shoot Repeat's claims about the gun suggested.
![[Mangione, who was valedictorian of his Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a university spokesman]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/10/20/93009637-14178483-Mangione_who_was_valedictorian_of_his_Maryland_prep_school_earne-a-11_1733861486404.jpg)
The weapon found on Mangione would mark the first known assassination in the US involving a 3D-printed firearm if the the gun was used in the murder. Joe Kenny, the New York Police Department's chief of detectives, said in a statement: 'He was in possession of a ghost gun that had the capability of firing a 9mm round.'.
