3-D Printed Pistol Blueprints 'As Easy to Follow as IKEA Instructions' Available Online in Wake of 'CEO Killer' Luigi Mangione's 'Ghost Gun Murder'
Mangione is accused of using the 'homemade' weapon to gun down CEO Brian Thompson.
Dec. 17 2024, Published 7:30 p.m. ET
UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson's murder using a "ghost gun" has led others to discover just how simple it is to spot a how-to guide online for these "homemade" weapons.
Instructions on how to print 3D guns have been widely circulating online following murder suspect Luigi Mangione's brazen crime, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
UK reporter Snake Denton explained downloading the blueprints was easier than he could ever imagine: "Within minutes of searching, I find the blueprints, an Ikea-like step-by-step guide on how to make a deadly weapon at home. It’s shocking that I was able to get my hands on these so easily."
Meanwhile, Preet Kaur Gill, the Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, tabled a private member’s bill about a ban in October after taking part in the documentary, Plastic, Printed & Deadly.
The Channel 4 doc follows follows a reporter as he prints parts for a FGC-9 semi-automatic weapon in the UK, before traveling to Florida, where it is still legal to make 3D-printed guns for personal use, to finish his job.
The 26-year-old was said to have the 'homemade' gun and silencer used in the crime on his person when captured.
Gill said the government is set to close the legal loophole to make it illegal to possess or share a blueprint to make 3D-printed guns in the UK.
She explained: "I could see how quickly this could become a trend, and with the release of photos of the ghost gun used in the UnitedHealthcare CEO case in New York, I am delighted the government has moved quickly and announced it will change the law."
Mangione is accused of using a "ghost gun", a potentially untraceable weapon that can be assembled at home from scratch or through weapon parts kits.
The 26-year-old was busted in an Altoona, Pennsylvania McDonald's with a backpack that stored a "ghost gun" and silencer. According to police, both the weapon and silencer were made using a 3D printer plus readily available metal parts, leading to fears these type of "homemade" weapons will be used more often in crimes.
In 2022, federal officials recovered more than 25,000 homemade guns, and earlier this year President Joe Biden established an Emerging Firearms Threats Task Force with an executive order, aiming to fight back against unregistered 3D-printed guns.
Guns similar to the ones Mangione is suspected of using in the crime are relatively cheap, with one site selling a 3D printer starter kit for around $300. This includes the blueprints for a .22 caliber pistol and filament - the material the printer uses.
Mangione is accused of using a 'ghost gun' to murder UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione was able to evade capture for days following the murder, as CCTV footage caught him fleeing the scene on a bike to Central Park before cameras spotted him taking a taxi to a bus station.
Along with several fake IDs, the "ghost gun" and a silencer, Mangione was also busted with a handwritten "manifesto" detailing his grievances against healthcare insurance companies.
The manifesto reportedly stated: "It had to be done. These parasites had it coming. I don't want to cause any trauma, but it had to be done."
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Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, has been charged with first-degree murder.
The Ivy league grad has been charged with first-degree murder along with other charges including two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as a killing in the act of terrorism.
Mangione is also facing charges of possessing weapons and forged instruments.
