A Houston man was indicted on federal charges Wednesday for allegedly owning a bump stock attached to his rifle, featuring the first such case since the Trump administration banned the possession of bump stocks earlier this year.
Ajay Dhingra, 43, is charged on four counts of firearms violations, including possession of a machine gun, two counts of making false statements to acquire a firearm, and possession of a firearm, according to the Department of Justice. Dhingra was also found to have been previously committed to a mental institution and was barred from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Authorities became suspicious of Dhingra last month after he left a “concerning message” with the George W. Bush Foundation. He also sent an email to the foundation asking Bush to “send one of your boys to come and murder me.”
Secret Service agents opened an investigation into Dhingra which led them to his home, where they found 277 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, a Glock pistol, and a Colt rifle with a bump stock inserted into it.
Dhingra allegedly informed Secret Service when they arrived to his home that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The case is reported to be the first incident of an indictment of a person for possessing a bump stock since the devices were barred along with machine guns through federal legislation in March 2019.
The devices came under national scrutiny after a gunman opened fire on a Las Vegas music festival in 2017, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds of others. Investigators determined that the man fired 1,100 rounds of ammunition from the 32nd-floor of a hotel with the help of a bump stock.
Dhingra is facing up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine if convicted. He is set to appear in court on Sept. 12.
