I guess the UHC CEO gunman wasn’t the criminal genius I thought
This is one of the things that bugs me about current events. You can spend hours or even days writing something, then have to start it all over again because then more news breaks. Luckily, I was able to get my previous post about the murder of Brian Thompson out before his alleged assailant was apprehended.
Anyway, in case you’ve been living under the proverbial rock, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione of Maryland, was caught at McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. I’ll comment more about that in a moment.
In my previous post, I heralded Mangione as a criminal genius since he was able to commit his crime in virtually broad daylight and escape New York City without a hitch. Then he got caught. And it’s not just that he got caught, it’s that he was caught with the very gun reportedly used in the murder in his possession.
I’m not that familiar with the geography of Manhattan, but between there and Altoona, he must have had several opportunities to dispose of the gun. Not that I want to influence future criminals, but rule #1 is to get rid of the gun used in the commission of a crime before checking in for some chicken nuggets.
Speaking of the gun, the gun found in Mangione’s possession was said to be a ghost gun. A ghost gun is a homemade or workshop-assembled firearm that lacks serial numbers or other identifying marks typically found on commercially manufactured guns. The term ‘ghost’ highlights the fact that these firearms are untraceable, making them challenging for law enforcement to track.
Ghost guns can be assembled from kits, often available for purchase online, which include all the necessary components, such as the receiver, barrel, and other parts. Alternatively, individuals can create custom designs using 3D printers or other tools, further complicating efforts to trace them.
It kind of defeats the purpose of a ghost gun if you’re caught carrying it. And in case you were wondering, ghost guns are banned in the state of New York, but Pennsylvania’s ghost gun law has a lot more wiggle room.
Mangione’s gun was said to be of the 3D printed variety. I think that matters, and here’s why. Since it was a rich white dude who was killed, there has to be some kind of repercussions. Instead of passing sensible gun control laws, what will happen is the pearl clutchers and politicians will come down on the 3D printing of guns.
While all you 3D printing gun nerds may be flying under the radar now, that may be coming to an end soon. Just as regular printers are equipped with safeguards to prevent counterfeiting, similar measures could be implemented in 3D printers to restrict their ability to produce firearms, no matter how crappy those guns may be. You can call it PLA or Carbon fiber all you want, it’s still plastic.
According to reports, Mangione went to an Ivy League school, The University of Pennsylvania, and holds a master’s degree in computer science. Which kind of makes it ironic that his Goodreads profile supposedly shows he’s a fan of the manifesto written by Ted Kaczynski, aka the very anti-technology terrorist known as the Unabomber.
While this is a story where I think everyone sucks, I do feel bad for somebody involved, and that’s whichever Altoona McDonald’s employee reported him. Mangione has been getting a lot of love on the internet, and if the internet loves doing one thing, it’s harassing people who they don’t agree with. And, it’s already happening as people are using the McDonald’s Yelp page to leave nasty comments. To that, I say, how many of you would turn down the $60,000 reward offered for his capture?
Besides, the adulation of criminals, no matter how righteous you think their cause may be, is a road that only leads to more violence and more broken lives. And with that, I’ll leave you several pertinent examples.
