What is a ghost gun? The weapon the suspect of killing the UnitedHealthcare CEO was carrying
26-year old Luigi Mangione has been arrested as a suspect in the United Healthcare shooting with a homemade weapon recovered.
In the first major breakthrough in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police arrested Luigi Mangione in a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
“Today at 9:14am, Altoona police officers were dispatched to a McDonald’s Restaurant for reports of a male matching the description of the United Healthcare CEO murder suspect” the police department said in a statement.
Police said he was found with “multiple fraudulent IDs”, a three-page handwritten manifesto attacking corporate America, and a homemade weapon, also known as a ‘ghost gun’.
The suspect’s possession of all of these items is another twist in case including cryptic messages inscribed on bullet casings and a rucksack full of fake money. By account of what he was found with he was waiting to be caught, if he is indeed the shooter.
What is a ghost gun?
Ghost guns, unregistered and untraceable homemade weapons, have become increasingly commonplace with the rise of 3D printers. They can even be bought online in the form of a kit, offering a way for would-be gun owners to evade the usual checks and regulations that usually accompany gun ownership.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has found that ghost guns are contributing to a rise in gun violence across the United States, with countless websites offering everything from handguns to AK-47s.
As part of an investigation into the black market firearms, CBS News correspondent Carter Evans was able to purchase a Glock 9mm handgun with no background check or waiting period. Existing laws also require firearms manufacturers to include serial numbers on weapons to aid with tracking efforts. Ghost guns evade this regulation.
Speaking in 2020, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva outlined the danger of these types of weapons: “If you’re a felon or judged mentally unfit, for example, federal law says you’re not supposed to have any kind of firearm. Build a ghost gun? No one knows you have it.”
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