ORLANDO, Fla. — A student at the University of Central Florida was arrested Tuesday for having an illegally modified AR-15 in his car, on campus, according to the an arrest affidavit.
UCF police say they began investigating 19-year-old Max Chambers, of Sarasota, after receiving an anonymous tip. They found the illegally-modified weapon, which was functioning as a fully automatic rifle, in his vehicle after he consented to a search, the affidavit says.
An FDLE firearms instructor tested the weapon and confirmed that it was fully automatic and capable of firing at least 19 rounds consecutively, according to arrest documents.
Police say Chambers had three drop-in auto sears, or DIAS, devices. These devices are, "a combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a weapon to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. Consequently, the auto sear is a machinegun as defined by 26 U.S.C. 5845(b)," according to The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Chambers admitted to producing the devices and testing one on his AR-15 this month. He told police he knew it was illegal, "but said he does not like laws,” according to the affidavit.
The UCF Police Department says Chambers expressed no direct threat to the University of Central Florida community.
"The student, who lived on campus and has been trespassed following his arrest, expressed no direct threat to the university community," UCF police wrote on Facebook. "However, his disregard for firearms laws was concerning—and ultimately illegal— especially in this day and age."
Police want to remind students to report any suspicious activity to them.
"When suspicious activity is brought to UCFPD’s attention, we’ll do something," UCFPD wrote on Facebook. "Remember that no call is too small for us to care about. Trust in your gut instincts, and speak up when it feels right."
Chambers was taken to the Orange County Jail on a $5,000 bond. He faces charges for possessing a machine gun and a bump-fire-stock.
