A federal grand jury has indicted Walter Ryan Keith, 41, of Fresno, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and possession of a machine gun.
According to court documents, after execution of a search warrant at his home on June 5, Keith was found in possession of 14 firearms and a machine gun conversion device. Keith is a convicted felon and is prohibited from having a firearm. He was charged Sept. 19.

Homeland Security Led the Probe

Homeland Security conducted the investigation into Keith. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica A. Massey is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Keith faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Federal Definition of a Machine Gun

According to federal code, a machine gun is defined as “any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The term shall also include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person.”