KC Reporter

Two men from the Kansas City area have been indicted by a federal grand jury for possessing machine gun conversion devices. Demetrius Harris, 24, of Kansas City, Missouri, and his brother Darius R. Harris, 22, of Raytown, Missouri, face charges in separate cases. The indictments were initially sealed but were made public after their arrests and initial court appearances.

Demetrius Harris appeared in court today and was charged with one count of illegally possessing and transferring machine guns. The specific items involved include an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 multi-caliber rifle equipped with an AR-type machine gun conversion device and two additional AR-type machine gun conversion devices. These events occurred on January 24, 2024.

Darius Harris is facing two counts related to the illegal possession and transfer of a Glock-type machine gun conversion device on October 30, 2023, and November 9, 2023.

Machine gun conversion devices are designed to convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic firearms that can fire multiple rounds with a single trigger pull. Regardless of whether they are attached to a firearm or not, these devices are classified as machine guns under federal law. Possession, sale, or use of such devices is illegal.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh is prosecuting these cases following investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The indictments against the Harris brothers are accusations at this stage; evidence must be presented to a federal trial jury for a determination of guilt or innocence.

These cases fall under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. This program emphasizes trust-building within communities and strategic enforcement priorities.