Elijah Millar, Brandishing Firearm, Tennessee 2025

A 19-year-old man from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has been federally charged with a firearms violation after a protest in Nashville.

Elijah Millar, 19, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was federally charged on Friday, June 20, with the unlawful possession of a firearm, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.

According to court documents, Millar went to a “No Kings” protest near Bicentennial Mall in downtown Nashville on June 14, 2025. Witnesses reported that Millar was dressed in all black, wearing a mask, and was carrying a firearm. Millar allegedly told the protestors that he had a firearm, spat at them, yelled at them, and brandished the firearm.

Officers with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) approached Millar, disarmed him, and arrested him. According to court documents, MNPD seized a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol from Millar at the time.

Days later, officers of the Murfreesboro Police Department encountered Millar and recovered another loaded 9mm firearm from his waistband.

Millard’s actions put people in danger, said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “The right to peaceably protest government action is guaranteed by the First Amendment and cannot be infringed upon by armed individuals whose actions put people in danger.”

Millar’s charges stem from a 2023 order by the Chancery Court in Rutherford County, Tennessee, that appointed an emergency conservator for Millar, finding him to be “at risk of substantial harm to his health, safety, and welfare” and prohibiting him from receiving or possessing a firearm.

If convicted, Millar faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Field Office, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and the Murfreesboro Police Department.

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