A Dallas man was sentenced to 8 years in prison for possessing a partially 3D-printed AR-15 rifle and a list of lawmakers’ addresses in his backpack, despite a court order that prohibited him from possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.
Eric Gerard McGinnis, 39, was found guilty of possessing an unregistered short barrel rifle and unlawfully possessing ammunition while subject to an active protective order.
The case began in August 2015, when a county judge enacted a protective order against McGinnis following a violent altercation with his live-in girlfriend. The order barred him from possessing firearms or ammunition for two years.
However, in June 2016, McGinnis attempted to buy a semi-automatic rifle component at a federally licensed gun shop in Dallas. The purchase was rejected after an NICS background check uncovered the order, and ATF reminded McGinnis he wasn’t allowed to have a gun.
Undeterred, McGinnis obtained a barrel, stock, upper receiver, and grip, then used a 3D printer to create a “lower receiver,” the gun’s firing mechanism, and assembled the parts to construct a short-barrel AR-15 style rifle.
In July 2017, McGinnis took the 3D-printed gun to a wooded area just outside Dallas, where he was eventually caught by Grand Prairie police officers. The officers discovered the partially 3D-printed gun, loaded, and a list labeled “9/11/2001 list of American Terrorists” in his backpack.
A subsequent forensic analysis of McGinnis’ electronic devices by U.S. Capitol Police suggests McGinnis had a strong interest in James Hodgkinson, the shooter who wounded Rep. Steve Scalise and several others at a GOP Congressional baseball practice in Virginia in June 2017.
When questioned by police, McGinnis falsely claimed to be a member of the CIA. Body-cam video shows that officers directed him to kneel on the pavement, cuffed him, and shortly thereafter, inspected his backpack.
McGinnis admitted to building the gun in a jailhouse phone call to a family member, saying “I didn’t buy a gun, I built the gun.”
This case, investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives with assistance from the Grand Prairie Police Department and U.S. Capitol Police, was brought as part of U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox’s initiative to keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers.
“When he realized he couldn’t legally purchase a firearm, Eric McGinnis circumvented our gun laws by 3D-printing his weapon, eliminating the need for a background check,” said Nealy Cox. “This case should send a message to prohibited persons contemplating acquiring guns by any method: this office is committed to keeping guns out of the hands of those who violate protective orders for domestic violence, no matter how the guns are obtained – by theft, purchase, or 3D printing.”
‘Controls to determine if an individual is prohibited from purchasing firearms and ammunition worked,’ said Jeffrey C. Boshek II, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Dallas Field Division. “Mr. McGinnis applied evolving technology to bypass those controls to manufacture an untraceable NFA weapon. The fact a prohibited person was able to manufacture an untraceable firearm with apparent ease and anonymity predated the current 3D printing technology landscape.
Related Federal Cases
- Karen McGinnis, Tax Theft, Texas 2023-2025 · Pennsylvania
- Adrian Samuels, Possessing Homemade Shank, West Virginia 2023 · Virginia
- Robert Palmer and Michael Foy, Assaulting Law Enforcement, Washingt… · Florida
- Cristian Medrano-Umanzor, MS-13 Gang Member, Strasburg VA, 2024 · Washington
- Curtis Lee Moran, Terroristic Threats, North Dakota 2024 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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