The weapon found on the arrested person of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is a specific 3D printed Glock frame called the Chairmanwon V1, two people in the 3D printed weapons community told 404 Media after viewing an image of the weapon provided to media outlets by police.
The news is significant in that it could be the first assassination in the United States using a 3D printed weapon, and could usher in fresh calls to further regulate the printing of firearms by ordinary citizens. The finding comes after police arrested a person of interest, Luigi Mangione, on Monday in Pennsylvania. Mangione has now been charged with a handful of crimes, including carrying a gun without a license, but he has not been charged with the murder itself.
“I can confirm that it is a 3D printed Glock. It’s a V1 chairmanwon design,” Print Shoot Repeat, a pseudonymous and high profile member of the 3D printing firearms community told 404 Media in an online chat. “It appears to be the first high profile case involving a 3D printed gun and it’s my guess that this will have a huge impact on DIY firearms regulations going forward.”
A second person in the 3D printing firearms community who requested anonymity to speak about the weapon also said it was a Chairmanwon V1. Referring to a weapon as 3D printed also does not necessarily mean that the entire firearm was made with a printer. For example, with a 3D printed frame a user will still need a “slide” which they may purchase. Researchers at the Forensic Centre for Digital Scanning and 3D Printing at the University of Warwick published a paper earlier this year explaining that “hybrid 3D-printed firearms contain, in addition to the main 3D printed components, readily available metal parts which are usually easily sourced and unregulated, including springs, steel tubing etc.”
Chairmanwon is the moniker used by someone who has uploaded 3D printed designs for Glocks for years online. They distribute the files on the site Odysee and take donations in Bitcoin. “Files are licensed under GPL2. AKA feel free to use these files for any puropose [sic] (including commercial) but you have to attribute them to me and any derivitives must be released under the same license if you release it,” a license disclaimer on multiple Odysee pages read.
The source who requested anonymity said the V1 was released in late 2020 or early 2021, depending on where it was downloaded from. They added that today the V1 version of the design is no longer popular, and that it was quickly replaced by the V2 designs within six months of its release.
In an article on Monday, ABC reported police as saying that Mangione was in possession of a ghost gun, meaning one without a serial number, that was capable of firing a 9mm round and a suppressor. ABC quoted police as saying the gun “may have been made on a 3D printer,” and published an image of the weapon. NBC also published an image police said was the weapon found on Mangione.
As well as showing an image of the weapon reportedly used in the UnitedHealthcare shooting to members of the 3D printing community, 404 Media cross-referenced the image with others of the Chairmanwon V1 available online, such as this one posted to Reddit several years ago.
The practice of 3D printing weapons has been around for more than 10 years, but the space has radically changed since it started. The weapons generally now are of much higher and reliable quality. 3D printed weapons have spread around the world, including in Europe where they have been produced by neo-Nazis and criminal gangs. 3D printed weapons have also been used by rebel groups in South East Asia.
Odysee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
