Texas man charged in bump stock case

WASHINGTON — A Texas man is the first person to be charged under a federal ban on bump stocks, devices that allow a semi-automatic firearm to fire rapidly like a machine gun, the Justice Department said Thursday.

Ajay Dhingra, 43, of Houston, came on the radar of the U.S. Secret Service in August after he sent an email to the George W. Bush Foundation asking the former president to “send one of your boys to come and murder me,” according to court records.

Bump stock devices became a focal point of the national gun control debate after they were used by the gunman who killed 58 people and left hundreds of others injured in the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting on the Strip.

Prosecutors allege that Dhingra had previously been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility and was prohibited from owning firearms.

When Secret Service agents showed up at his house, Dhingra told them he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, court documents said.

At his home, investigators found a handgun and an AR-15 rifle that had a bump stock attached to it, the documents said. Investigators also found four 100-round magazines.

Dhingra’s case is the first brought by the U.S. Justice Department for violating the nationwide bump stock ban since it took effect in March, under the same federal law that prohibits possessing machine guns.

Dhingra was indicted on charges that include possessing a machine gun and making false statements to acquire a firearm.

His attorney, David Adler, declined to comment Thursday.

Nevada Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui, D-Las Vegas, authored a bill in the 2019 Legislature that, among other things, banned bump stocks in Nevada. But she said there was more work to be done on gun control.

“With the recents events that have taken place, common sense gun reform is more important than ever,” said Jauregui, who survived the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in 2017. “I was proud to take the lead in Nevada to make sure dangerous technology like bump stocks were banned. We also passed universal background checks to make sure we are keeping guns out of the hands of violent criminals and those with mental health issues.

“I look forward to the work I’ve started with community leaders and key stakeholders to build upon the bold steps we have already taken on gun safety.”