A Texas man was arrested for owning a bump stock device — making him the first person to be charged under the federal ban.
The device, which is used to transform a semi-automatic firearm into a rapidly-firing machine gun-esque weapon, was attached to an AR-15, according to Justice Department officials.
It was allegedly owned by Ajay Dhingra, 43, of Houston.
The rifle-toting Texan came to the attention of US Secret Service agents last month after he fired off an email towards the George W. Bush Foundation — telling the former president to “send one of your boys to come and murder me,” according to federal prosecutors.
Dhingra had been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility in the past and was barred from owning firearms prosecutors said.
He allegedly told authorities that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
A handgun was also found at Dhingra’s home, along with the AR-15 — and four 100-round magazines, prosecutors said.
It’s the very first time that agents have found and busted someone for possessing a bump stock since the government decided to ban the devices. The move, which went into effect in March, came after the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, in which bump stocks were used. Only two states had banned them before the massacre.
Dhingra is facing multiple charges, including possessing a machine gun and making false statements to acquire a firearm. His attorney, David Adler, declined to comment Thursday when reached by the media outlets.
With Post wires