On December 4th, 2024, Luigi Mangione waited within the streets of New York Metropolis and carried out a cold-blooded assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The focused, premeditated assault shocked the general public, sparking reactions throughout political strains.
However whereas the web and mainstream media dove into social commentary, additionally they crammed the airwaves with wild firearm inaccuracies.
Credit score to Brandon Herrera (see video under) who reduce by means of the noise and centered on the {hardware}—the firearm allegedly used within the assassination—and why so many consultants bought it so flamboyantly flawed.
The Murderer Gun Fantasy: B&T Station 6
Early media stories claimed that the assassination weapon was a B&T Station 6—a smooth, integrally suppressed single-shot pistol chambered in .45 ACP. Admittedly, it seems to be like one thing straight out of a spy film, however anybody acquainted with firearms might inform from the surveillance footage that this wasn’t the gun used.
The B&T Station 6 operates in a really particular method: the shooter should rotate, pull again, load a spherical, push ahead, and rotate once more. Surveillance footage confirmed Mangione manipulating a slide—not rotating and resetting after every shot. The mechanics merely didn’t match.
What Was Truly Used: A 3D-Printed Glock Hybrid
When Luigi Mangione was apprehended, authorities recovered the actual weapon: a Glock 19 higher mounted on a 3D-printed body. Particularly, it was based mostly on the FMDA 19.2 Chairman Juan Remix mannequin—a well-liked design within the 3D-printing firearm group.
SEE ALSO: Kimber’s Stainless II 1911: One Elegant Shooter
The slide confirmed clear indicators of malfunction, seemingly attributable to the suppressor used. The suppressor, additionally seemingly 3D-printed, didn’t embody a Nielsen gadget (a recoil booster). With out this gadget, semi-automatic handguns wrestle to cycle correctly when suppressed, usually requiring guide slide manipulation between photographs.
Debunking Extra Myths: Subsonic Ammo and Malfunctions
One other fantasy was that Mangione’s weapon malfunctioned as a result of he was utilizing subsonic ammunition, allegedly marking him as some form of skilled murderer. That’s nonsense. Subsonic .45 ACP cycles simply positive in correctly configured firearms with suppressors that includes Nielsen units.
Mangione’s malfunctions got here from the suppressor design, not the ammo selection.
The Concern-Mongering Round 3D Printing
The truth that the gun and suppressor have been partially 3D-printed despatched media shops right into a frenzy. Cue the predictable fear-mongering about “ghost weapons” and the supposed risks of unregulated printing know-how.
However right here’s the reality: home made suppressors have existed for so long as suppressors themselves. Earlier than 3D printing, DIY suppressors have been usually crafted from oil filters or improvised supplies. Know-how could have advanced, however the idea stays unchanged.
The actual downside isn’t the instrument—it’s ignorance. When folks perceive the know-how, the concern subsides, and significant conversations about firearm coverage can truly occur.
Remaining Ideas
This case has been an ideal storm of misinformation, media frenzy, and misplaced blame on know-how somewhat than the person behind the set off. However one factor stays clear: the firearm used wasn’t some Hollywood murderer pistol. It was a DIY Glock setup, with all of the quirks and flaws that include 3D-printed modifications.
As at all times, data is energy. The extra folks perceive about firearms—how they work, how they malfunction, and what they’re able to—the much less room there’s for fear-driven narratives.
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