What is a ghost gun, the weapon allegedly used in New York CEO shooting?

Investigators accidental the achromatic pistol allegedly recovered from Luigi Mangione, the fishy arrested successful transportation with the sidesplitting of a healthcare executive, appeared to beryllium a shade weapon - a firearm that tin beryllium assembled astatine home.

Officials said the instrumentality mightiness person been made utilizing a 3D printer, but would person to beryllium tested by ballistic experts to confirm.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's sidesplitting has erstwhile again thrown the spotlight connected this arguable limb that has been called "the fastest increasing weapon information occupation successful the country" by advocacy groups.

Here's what to cognize astir these firearms.

Ghost guns are alleged due to the fact that they are perchance untraceable. They tin beryllium assembled astatine home, either from scratch oregon done limb parts kits, and they are not marked with serial numbers.

The limb allegedly carried by Mr Mangione successful his backpack seems to person been typical. The apprehension warrant described it arsenic a "semi-automatic pistol with what appears to beryllium a 3D-printed loaded receiver with a metallic descent and silencer".

Police said it was susceptible of firing 9mm rounds, and was accordant with the benignant of limb utilized successful the fatal shooting of Mr Thompson successful New York the week before.

The Biden administration, arguing successful favour of regulating the firearms, has antecedently described shade guns arsenic being "ridiculously easy" to enactment together.

Until August 2023, anyone with net entree could legally bargain galore of the parts needed to marque a weapon without a inheritance check. Online tutorials explicate however to acceptable unneurotic the pieces into a afloat functioning firearm successful little than an hour.

Experts person called shade guns the country's fastest-growing weapon information problem. They person been progressively utilized successful high-profile shootings.

According to figures from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), 20,000 suspected shade guns were reported arsenic being recovered by instrumentality enforcement successful transgression investigations successful 2022 - a tenfold summation from 2016.

Authorities accidental that without serial numbers connected their frames, it is virtually intolerable to way dealers who are selling these guns illegally to minors oregon to radical without licenses.

A erstwhile authorities authoritative doubted whether people's minds would beryllium changed by Mr Thompson's killing. "Ghost guns are a caller origin successful a precise analyzable and convulsive country," Juliette Kayyem told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

America was uncovering it "very hard" to restrict the firearm, said Ms Kayyem, erstwhile adjunct caput for argumentation astatine the Department of Homeland Security.

More than 48,000 radical were killed by firearms mostly successful the US successful 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The sidesplitting has renewed scrutiny of shade guns - which the Biden authorities has tried to modulate by saying they should beryllium treated successful the aforesaid mode arsenic commercially disposable firearms.

Manufacturers of shade weapon kits are present required to see serial numbers connected their products, and execute inheritance checks connected the purchasers.

In October, the US Supreme Court signalled its willingness to uphold the law, which has been challenged by weapon rights groups saying that authorities had overstepped the bounds of pre-existing legislation.

A ruling that upholds the ATF's caller regularisation would people a alteration for this Supreme Court, which has a blimpish super-majority that has been mostly sceptical of weapon regulations.

On guns much broadly, US President-elect Donald Trump has positioned himself arsenic a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, which grants the close to carnivore arms. Earlier this year, helium told the National Rifle Association (NRA) that helium was the group's champion friend.