Sinister rise of Ghost Guns
The Atomic Layers: S5E14 (00130)
Atomic Layer of the Day:
As you may already know, on December 4, 2024, Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was murdered in New York City. The incident occurred near the New York Hilton Midtown hotel, where the company’s annual investor meeting was set to take place. The assailant fired several shots with a handgun that was likely partially 3D-printed. These so-called “ghost guns” are untraceable and allow for circumventing firearm control regulations through self-manufacturing.
The prime suspect in the case is Luigi Mangione, who was apprehended five days after the murder at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. At the time of his arrest, Mangione was found carrying a 3D-printed gun and a multi-page manifesto detailing his belief that killing insurance company CEOs was justified. (As perpetrators of such crimes always seem to carry written evidence of their motives, conveniently aiding law enforcement…)
The issue of 3D-printed firearms is louder than ever today. This is no longer the 2012–2013 era, when discussions about 3D-printed guns were largely theoretical, confined to mainstream media speculation. Now, not only has a 3D-printed weapon been used in a high-profile murder, but statistics also reveal that these firearms represent a very real and growing threat.
Ghost guns offer several clear advantages from a criminal’s perspective. They require no registration and bypass background checks. Metal components such as barrels can be easily purchased online without restrictions, while plastic parts, such as grips, can be quickly 3D-printed. A decent 3D printer, available for just a few hundred dollars, can produce these components in mere hours.
It’s no surprise, then, that this phenomenon has raised serious concerns. According to the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives), the use of ghost guns in crimes increased by 1,000% between 2017 and 2020. The problem isn’t just their untraceability but also the ease with which these weapons can be modified. Constructing ghost guns resembles a modeling kit project: parts are sourced from various locations and assembled, complicating criminal investigations even further.
While 3D-printed guns are far from perfect—frequently jamming and requiring precision during assembly—their ability to bypass legal regulations is alarming.
The death of Brian Thompson may serve as a catalyst for implementing stricter controls over 3D printers. For now, the general public, unfamiliar with the intricacies of 3D printing, reacts with a mix of surprise and fascination at the concept. However, if similar incidents become more frequent, the once-unregulated home 3D printing sector may face serious calls for oversight and regulation.
Atomic Layer from the Past:
12-14-2021: Porsche made a strategic investment in INTAMSYS, a Chinese manufacturer of high-temperature 3D printers.
12-14-2016: the world’s first 3D-printed pedestrian bridge was inaugurated in Spain.
News & Gossip:
Continuing the topic of 3D-printed weapons: 19-year-old Owain Roberts from Pill, Newport, was sentenced to five years in prison for manufacturing a semi-automatic firearm using 3D-printed parts. At the age of 17, as a member of an online group called "Domestic Terrorism," he created an FGC-9 firearm (the name stands for “F**k Gun Control-9”) using steel barrels and components purchased online. During a search, authorities found weapon parts, gas masks, knives, Nazi posters, and ingredients that could be used to produce explosives.
BioSapien raised $5.5 million to advance 3D-printed drug delivery technologies.
Researchers from the Department of Polymer Science and Technology at Istanbul Technical University in Turkey have developed shape-memory hydrogels that are self-healing, mechanically resilient, and ideal for biomedical applications. The material was created through solvent-free and initiator-free terpolymerization of monomers using 4D SLA printing technology. The hydrogels feature a Young’s modulus of 51 MPa, tensile strength of 6 MPa, and an activation temperature of 32–40°C, which can be adjusted by modifying the polymer network composition. Applications include smart packaging, drug delivery, and adaptive devices. This invention eliminates toxicity, a critical factor for medical use.