A man was arrested for allegedly manufacturing “ghost guns” with a 3D printer in Philadelphia.
On Monday, District Attorney Larry Krasner announced charges against Daniel Whiteman, 36, for illegal possession of firearms and a controlled substance.
Whiteman is accused of using a 3D printer to manufacture specific parts for firearms. He also allegedly bought parts online, including slides and barrels, to build untraceable “ghost guns,” which are privately made firearms without serial numbers that are increasingly cropping up in violent crimes.
Whiteman was arrested on April 1 after agents with the Gun Violence Task Force received a tip. Investigators said Whiteman was in the process of printing a Polymer receiver, which houses a gun’s operational mechanisms, when officials executed a search warrant at his home in Philadelphia’s Roxborough neighborhood.
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Whiteman assembled at least six firearms before his arrest, including Glock-style .9mm and .22 caliber firearms, investigators said. Officials believe Whiteman sold one of them and the transferred gun was later used in a shooting.
Investigators also found firearm-related supplies, including ammunition calibers, gun oil and gun magazines as well as multiple rolls of 3D printer filament and two clear packets of heroin and fentanyl, officials said.
Whiteman, who was previously convicted of robbery in Delaware County in 2013, is charged with possession of a firearm prohibited and other related offenses.
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The announcement of Whiteman’s arrest came the same day President Joe Biden announced a federal ruling cracking down on ghost guns.
The new rule changes the current definition of a firearm under federal law to include unfinished parts, like the frame of a handgun or the receiver of a long gun. It says those parts must be licensed and include serial numbers. Manufacturers must also run background checks before a sale — as they do with other commercially made firearms. The requirement applies regardless of how the firearm was made, meaning it includes ghost guns made from individual parts, kits, or by 3D-printers.
Statistics from Philadelphia Police show the amount of ghost guns recovered in the city increased from 95 in 2019 to 250 in 2020 and 571 in 2021, according to the District Attorney’s Office. The office said that amount is expected to rise even more this year.
"This frightening case is a clear-cut example of why we need our state legislature to modernize firearm safety laws that reflect the reality of 3D printing technology," Krasner said. "Our communities demand that state legislators in the thrall of the National Rifle Association wake up and start caring about public safety by passing commonsense gun regulation so that we can prevent the next Mr. Whiteman from producing and trafficking guns that jeopardize the lives of families and children."
