On December 4, 2024, Luigi Mangione assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Mangione was donning a mask when he pulled out a 9mm ghost gun —- a homemade firearm — to carry out the murder.
According to a report by ABC News, law enforcement discovered Mangione “had a ghost gun capable of firing a 9mm round and a suppressor.” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch added that the firearm and suppressor were “consistent with the weapon used in the [Brian Thompson] murder.”
When police took Mangione into custody and conducted a search of his belongings, they reportedly found a handwritten note in which he wrote “These parasites had it coming.”
The high profile nature of the shooting naturally provoked a response for gun control from the Michael Bloomberg civilian disarmament network. Eric Tirschwell, executive director at Everytown Law, expressed his fears about homemade guns, declaring, “They became the weapon of choice for people who are otherwise prohibited from purchasing guns legally.”
Members of Congress have already hopped on the anti-homemade firearm bandwagon. Back on August 22, 2023, Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) put forward the Ghost Guns and Untraceable Firearms Act. The bill would prohibit the sale of “ghost guns.” These types of guns don’t have serial numbers, are untraceable, and can be purchased and built at home without individuals having to be subjected to unconstitutional background checks.
There are no official figures on the total number of ghost guns in circulation. Though homemade guns have been a fixture of the American experience dating back to America’s colonial period. Such a practice is as American as apple pie. Now, it just has a modern, high-tech twist with the advent of 3D printing and other cutting edge technologies that facilitate the homemade production of firearms.
Similarly, suppressors are used by a significant segment of the gun-owning population, often for hearing safety purposes. According to figures from the National Shooting Sports Federation (NSSF), there are over five million legal suppressors nationwide. Despite so many suppressors in circulation, there is no evidence of a massive spike in gun crimes involving the use of suppressors.
It should not be forgotten New York is one of the most anti-gun states in the country. According to Guns & Ammo magazine, New York is ranked in 51st place as far as the most friendly states for gun owners are concerned. It’s an anti-gun hellscape as evidenced by the presence of universal background checks, assault weapons bans, and red flag gun confiscation orders. Despite all of those gun control measures on the books, a grossly disturbed individual like Mangione was still able to carry out his dirty deed.
As gun rights activists know all too well, gun control will not prevent criminals from committing heinous acts against peaceful individuals. This is especially true when dealing with political zealots who have an axe to grind with corporate and political elites. These people will go to great lengths to commit brazen acts of terror.
The fact is the US is becoming more socially and politically unstable. While Mangione’s action should be condemned, the US finds itself in a heated political moment where any disgruntled individual or organization is on the verge of snapping.
Instead of implementing a broad array of civilian disarmament measures that negatively impact millions of lawful Americans, policymakers should think deeply about what’s bringing the country to the point where individuals are taking justice into their own hands. It’s naive to believe implementing gun control measures will magically fix this issue.
