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Man Accused Of Making AR-15s Inside His New England Home

A man has been charged with allegedly building AR-15s in his home in Western Massachusetts.

Joshua Buffum

Joshua Buffum

Photo Credit: Hampden County District Attorney's Office

Joshua Buffum, age 38, of Springfield, was arrested on Tuesday, May 24, following a search of his home, said Jim Leydon, spokesman for the Hampden County District Attorney's Office.

Over the past couple of weeks, law enforcement developed intelligence that Buffum was building AR-15s at his residence and was in possession of three additional handguns, Leydon said.

Following an investigation, on Tuesday, members from local and state agencies raided Buffum's Springfield home with warrants, he added.

After executing the search warrant, officers discovered a makeshift workstation equipped with a 3-D printer and various tools and machinery used to build and manufacture firearms, Leydon said.

An AR-15 rifle, 9 mm handgun, .380 handgun, 12 extended magazines, and various ammunition were recovered, Leydon said. 

There were also three additional AR-15s located that were in the process of being built, he said.

None of the functioning firearms had serial numbers, and are untraceable to law enforcement, officials said.

"It is believed replica Glock switches were being made on the 3D printer. These switches are easily installed and can turn a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm," Leydon said.

Buffum was charged with:

  • Possession of a firearm without a license (3 counts)
  • Possession of a large capacity feeding device (12 counts)
  • Possession of ammunition without a license

He is being held on a cash bail of $2,500. His next court date is scheduled for Thursday, June 23.

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