A "ghost gun" is a firearm that someone builds at home and a made-up term designed to terrify people. The claims that "ghost guns" can't be traced make it worse, especially because most people don't know how the ins and outs of gun tracing.
With the arrest of UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione – and his possession of a so-called "ghost gun" – it's big news in the mainstream media, but they keep leaving key details out.
"Like what, Tom?" you might ask.
Well, a lot.
First, Mangione may have had a so-called "ghost gun" on his person, but new regulations banning these kinds of firearms wouldn't necessarily have done anything. Initial reports say the gun appears to have been 3D printed. That means no firearm kit was necessary, something most media outlets include in their "ghost gun" description.
Sure, kits might be handy ways to get all the parts needed, but the part of the gun that is actually the gun is the receiver. That's what Mangione allegedly printed. Everything else could be obtained as a replacement part or an aftermarket upgrade for a traditionally manufactured firearm.
You can ban the kits all you want, but parts will still be available.
Mangione is alleged to have meticulously planned out this assassination. He reportedly built his own suppressor, too. He was determined to carry out this murder. That's clear, at least based on what we've been told.
So why is it that absolutely no one has figured out that there's no reason he wouldn't buy the parts individually?
None at all.
Of course, they're also leaving out the fact that gun tracing wasn't necessary to catch him.
If a firearm is recovered, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) can "trace" it by contacting the manufacturer to see where that particular serial number was sold. Usually, that's a distributor, but it could go directly to a gun store. They then call the next rung on the chain and get all the way to the original buyer. They can then ask that person what happened to the gun.
Yet most guns used in crimes aren't traced to the perpetrator. If agents are extremely lucky, they might find a straw buyer, but most of the time, it's someone who was the victim of a burglary or sold it somewhere along the way. They're not required to know who they sold it to.
What gun tracing doesn't do is allow the police to hone in on who may have committed a crime because they have the right kind of gun. I'm pretty sure Mangione actually thought they did, which is why he built his own firearm in the first place. After all, he had a clean background check. He could lawfully purchase a firearm as things stood.
He didn't, though.
Finally, while they talk about "ghost gun" bans aplenty, no one seems to recognize that three states have been associated with Mangione: New Jersey, where the ID he gave to police supposedly originated; Maryland, where he was from originally; and Hawaii, where he lived.
Homemade firearms are prohibited in all three states.
See, there's a lot of nuance to this discussion, but the media doesn't seem to want to get into any of it. All they know is the stuff they've been told by people with an axe to grind on the issue of guns. And to be clear, this is probably not a comprehensive list. This is just the stuff that came to mind as I wrote this.
And yet, how many people will read the stories or watch the reports and never realize any of this?
