On December 4th, 2024, Luigi Mangione waited in the streets of New York City and carried out a cold-blooded assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The targeted, premeditated attack shocked the public, sparking reactions across political lines.
But while the internet and mainstream media dove into social commentary, they also filled the airwaves with wild firearm inaccuracies.
Credit to Brandon Herrera (see video below) who cut through the noise and focused on the hardware—the firearm allegedly used in the assassination—and why so many experts got it so flamboyantly wrong.
Table of contents
The Assassin Gun Myth: B&T Station 6
Early media reports claimed that the assassination weapon was a B&T Station 6—a sleek, integrally suppressed single-shot pistol chambered in .45 ACP. Admittedly, it looks like something straight out of a spy movie, but anyone familiar with firearms could tell from the surveillance footage that this wasn’t the gun used.
The B&T Station 6 operates in a very specific way: the shooter must rotate, pull back, load a round, push forward, and rotate again. Surveillance footage showed Mangione manipulating a slide—not rotating and resetting after each shot. The mechanics simply didn’t match.
What Was Actually Used: A 3D-Printed Glock Hybrid
When Luigi Mangione was apprehended, authorities recovered the real weapon: a Glock 19 upper mounted on a 3D-printed frame. Specifically, it was based on the FMDA 19.2 Chairman Juan Remix model—a popular design in the 3D-printing firearm community.
SEE ALSO: Kimber’s Stainless II 1911: One Classy Shooter
The slide showed clear signs of malfunction, likely caused by the suppressor used. The suppressor, also likely 3D-printed, didn’t include a Nielsen device (a recoil booster). Without this device, semi-automatic handguns struggle to cycle properly when suppressed, often requiring manual slide manipulation between shots.
Debunking More Myths: Subsonic Ammo and Malfunctions
Another myth was that Mangione’s weapon malfunctioned because he was using subsonic ammunition, allegedly marking him as some sort of professional assassin. That’s nonsense. Subsonic .45 ACP cycles just fine in properly configured firearms with suppressors featuring Nielsen devices.
Mangione’s malfunctions came from the suppressor design, not the ammo choice.
The Fear-Mongering Around 3D Printing
The fact that the gun and suppressor were partially 3D-printed sent media outlets into a frenzy. Cue the predictable fear-mongering about “ghost guns” and the supposed dangers of unregulated printing technology.
But here’s the truth: homemade suppressors have existed for as long as suppressors themselves. Before 3D printing, DIY suppressors were often crafted from oil filters or improvised materials. Technology may have evolved, but the concept remains unchanged.
The real problem isn’t the tool—it’s ignorance. When people understand the technology, the fear subsides, and meaningful conversations about firearm policy can actually happen.
Final Thoughts
This case has been a perfect storm of misinformation, media frenzy, and misplaced blame on technology rather than the individual behind the trigger. But one thing remains clear: the firearm used wasn’t some Hollywood assassin pistol. It was a DIY Glock setup, with all the quirks and flaws that come with 3D-printed modifications.
As always, knowledge is power. The more people understand about firearms—how they work, how they malfunction, and what they’re capable of—the less room there is for fear-driven narratives.
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