In a recent high-profile case, police found a 3D-printed gun and silencer on suspected killer Luigi Mangione, highlighting the troubling rise of untraceable homemade firearms, also known as ghost guns.
Experts say these weapons, which lack serial numbers and can’t be traced, are becoming increasingly accessible due to the affordability of 3D printers, reported USA Today. Some models are available for as low as $300, making the production of these guns easier for potential criminals.
According to David Pucino from the Giffords Law Center, it was inevitable that 3D-printed weapons would be linked to a significant crime. Mangione’s firearm was a Glock-style pistol assembled from a printed polymer frame and metal components — parts that can be readily sourced online. This case underscores the broader challenge law enforcement faces as arrests related to ghost guns tripled between 2020 and 2022.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reported recovering over 25,000 ghost guns in 2022, a dramatic rise from 1,600 in 2017. Many crimes involving these weapons have been reported nationwide, including a Detroit teenager’s stash of 3D-printed parts and an Ohio man imprisoned for modifying his Glock with a 3D-printed switch to fire automatically. The unregulated nature of these weapons complicates traditional investigative methods that rely on firearm serial numbers.
Gun rights advocates defend the practice, framing homemade guns as a longstanding tradition. Taylor Rhodes of the National Association for Gun Rights argues that regulating these weapons is part of a broader effort to restrict lawful gun ownership. However, critics like retired NYPD detective Felipe Rodriguez warn that the technology enables “monsters” by bypassing conventional safeguards.
