UCF student arrested for making illegal alterations to AR-15 rifle, campus police say

A University of Central Florida student was arrested after campus police were tipped off about illegal alterations to a firearm.

Max Chambers, a 20-year-old mechanical engineering major, was arrested after officials said that he used a device on his AR-15 that can increase the rate of fire, effectively turning a semi-automatic gun into an automatic one.

The device, a drop-in auto sear, is outlawed in Florida as part of the bump stock ban. A federal ban on bump stocks will take effect in March.

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"I don't think anyone would consider it a good idea to have a machine gun on a college campus. This isn't Afghanistan," said UCF police chief Carl Metzer.

Campus officials assured that there was no threat to campus in connection to the arrest. Police said an anonymous tip led them to the discovery.

Metzer said this wasn't the UCF police department's first interaction with Chambers. Last spring, someone reported he had a firearm in his apartment, which technically is not illegal. However, officers explained the rules and the law him at the time.

"At no time was there an expressed threat to the university community," said UCF Police Chief Carl Metzger. "However, any violation of state law and university policies related to firearms is concerning in this day and age."

UCF said Chambers is a sophomore and ROTC member. Chambers faces charges of possessing a machine gun and a bump fire stock.

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