On Friday, a 19-year-old Tennessee man faced federal charges after brandishing a firearm at a "No Kings" protest in Nashville. Elijah Millar of Murfreesboro was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm according to a release by Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, Robert E. McGuire. The incident occurred on June 14 near Bicentennial Mall, a notable site where citizens often gather to voice their dissent.
Witness accounts, as stated in the U.S. Attorney’s office announcement, describe Millar dressed in all black and masked, showing a firearm, spitting at protesters, and yelling. Metropolitan Nashville Police Department officers intervened, seizing a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol from him at the scene. Days later, another interaction with law enforcement led to the recovery of an additional loaded 9mm firearm from Millar's waistband by the Murfreesboro Police Department.
Millar's possession of the weapon was a direct violation of a 2023 Chancery Court Order in Rutherford County, which appointed an emergency conservatorship based on a finding that he was a risk to himself and others. This court order prohibited him from owning or possessing firearms. Subsequently, a 2024 "Agreed Order of Limited Conservatorship" labeled Millar as a "disabled person needing care" with significant restrictions placed on his access to firearms.
Emphasizing the gravity of the situation, Acting U.S. Attorney McGuire stated, "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." McGuire's statement further underlines the intentions of the law to protect public safety from potential firearm-related violence. Millar, if convicted, could face up to 15 years in federal prison and fines up to $250,000. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Nashville Field Office, together with local police departments, is investigating this case, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Kurtzman and Kathryn Risinger leading the prosecution.
