NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A 19-year-old Murfreesboro man faces federal charges for being in possession of a firearm despite being under a court order deeming him not competent to make decisions for himself and preventing him from purchasing any guns on his own.
Elijah Millar, who was originally arrested on June 14 after he confronted Nashville "No Kings" protesters with a handgun, was booked into the Rutherford County Jail last week on state gun charges. The federal charges were filed Friday.
Following the "No Kings" protest, NewsChannel 5 Investigates revealed that Millar has a disturbing online history of glorifying Nazis and mass murderers.
“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,” Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire said in a news release.
“Our efforts to hold firearm offenders accountable are designed to keep all members of the public safe from potential violence.”
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Federal prosecutors filed a motion asking a federal magistrate to conduct a detention hearing to determine if Millar can safely be released, arguing that his "social media posts and online activity have raised concerns amongst law enforcement that the Defendant has a desire to commit an act of mass violence."
"The United States submits that the Defendant has previously ignored court-ordered conditions of a conservatorship in the past and, therefore, the Court can have no confidence that the Defendant would abide by whatever condition or set of conditions this Court would order," the motion argued.
According to the criminal complaint, a Rutherford County chancellor approved an emergency conservatorship for Millar in October 2023, finding that Millar was "a disabled person needing care and protection under the law."
A 2024 order restricted Millar's access to firearms, proscribing that he must be accompanied by his conservator or his step-father in purchasing any firearms and that he must allow the conservator to control access to those guns.
According to the complaint, at the time of his "No Kings" arrest on June 14, Millar was carrying a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol.
"After bonding out from that arrest, the Defendant acquired another firearm and was arrested with a firearm again just three days later," the detention motion stated.
In that case, Murfreesboro police had gone to the Millar home in response to a report that he was suicidal. At the time, police said, he had another 9mm handgun stuck in the waistband of his pants.
Millar was hospitalized overnight for a psychiatric evaluation and, when he was released the next morning, Murfreesboro police arrested him on the state gun charges.
If convicted on the federal charges, Millar faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
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