Ghost gun tied to NYC murder of health care CEO adds fuel to debate on homemade guns
The man police identified as a person of interest in the killing of a UnitedHealthcare executive in New York City had a ghost gun when he was arrested Monday in Pennsylvania, according to Joseph Kenny, the chief of detectives for the New York police.
Along with fake identification cards, police seized a firearm and silencer when they detained Luigi Mangione at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Both appeared to be made with a 3D printer, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Altoona.
Police say they recovered the pistol with a metal slide and plastic handle. The pistol had a loaded Glock magazine and six rounds remaining.
Ghost guns are firearms without serial numbers that are manufactured at home with do-it-yourself kits. Critics of the firearms say the concern is they are not traceable like traditional firearms with serial numbers. They can also be cheaply purchased online without a background check and assembled with minimal tools.
President Joe Biden announced a federal rule to require manufacturers of the kits to perform background checks and mark the weapons with serial numbers – the same requirement of standard gun producers.
The U.S. Supreme Court held arguments in October about the regulation that could be struck down this summer. The ruling would not impact the legality of “privately made firearms” by individuals, which is legal for personal use as long as it’s not sold or transferred.
More: Supreme Court discusses omelets when debating whether 'ghost guns' can be regulated
The number of suspected ghost guns recovered by law enforcement and submitted to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for tracing increased by more than 1,000% between 2017 and 2021. The number more than doubled from 2020 to 2021.
Gun control groups seized on the news Monday that a ghost gun may have been involved in the high-profile New York shooting.
“This news is yet another reminder that ghost guns are a dream come true for criminals who want to avoid detection, and a nightmare for anyone tasked with stopping them,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Ghost guns look like a regular gun, shoot like a regular gun, and kill like a regular gun – so our lawmakers must ensure they continue to be regulated like regular guns.”
Gun rights groups are battling in state courts to maintain rights for privately made firearms they say are built on historical precedent.
"Americans have been free to make their own firearms since before this country’s founding. As history and binding Supreme Court precedent shows, Oregon’s claim that this right isn’t protected by the Constitution is just absurd," said Brandon Combs, president of the Firearms Policy Coalition in statement about a brief filed in Oregon to support overturning a ban there.
Nick Penzenstadler is a reporter on the USA TODAY investigations team. Contact him at [email protected] or @npenzenstadler, or on Signal at (720) 507-5273.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ghost gun seized in NYC shooting case adds to debate