3D printers used to make machine guns sold in Mississippi, feds say. Man charged
A man was charged after using 3D printers to illegally make machine guns he was looking to sell in Mississippi, federal prosecutors say.
Kent Edward Newhouse, 41, of Jackson, managed to sell some weapons — but they went to a confidential informant working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, court documents state.
Now Newhouse has pleaded guilty to charges in connection with manufacturing firearms and being a felon in possession of such weapons, according to a Sept. 2 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
This comes after he was previously convicted on a felony charge related to selling controlled substances in 2009, the release says.
Newhouse’s attorney declined a request for comment from McClatchy News.
Beginning in April through July 13, prosecutors say Newhouse started making auto-sears with 3D printers. Auto-sears, which are considered machine guns under federal law, are a firearm component that turns a semiautomatic gun into a full-fledged, automatic machine gun, according to the release.
“The use of 3-D printers to unlawfully manufacture firearms, and to make devices to convert semiautomatic firearms into machine guns, poses a real and current threat to our communities,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn said in a statement.
In April, a confidential informant with the ATF tipped off the agency that Newhouse had been trying to create auto-sears to convert Glock pistols into machine guns, a criminal complaint states.
By July 7, he had successfully done so, and the informant learned Newhouse wanted to sell them, according to the complaint.
Newhouse ended up selling the informant six auto-sears and an AR-style pistol for $1,800 on July 13, the complaint says. That’s when the ATF got a hold of the weapons.
Days later on July 20, a search warrant of Newhouse’s home revealed more auto-sears he had printed out, according to the release.
Newhouse is facing up to 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, prosecutors say. He was charged with two counts.
For “engaging in business as a manufacturer of firearms,” he faces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years and another $250,000 fine, according to the release.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 2, the release says.
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