LIVE OAK, Fla. (WTXL) — A father and son who are residents of Suwannee County are each facing a charge in relation to firearm suppressors.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Middle District of Florida Attorney’s Office, Dustin Eward, age 44, and Greg Eward, age 24, were arrested and charged with possession and transfer of firearm silencers that are not registered to them in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Dustin Eward is also facing a threatening to assault and murder a federal law enforcement officer charge.
According to the news release provided by the district attorney’s office, the father and son are registered as corporate officers of the business entity Eward Research, Inc.
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On their website, the company nominally markets “solvent traps,” or firearm cleaning systems.
The district attorney’s office claims the solvent traps marketed by the Ewards were firearm silencers or suppressors.
Suppressors or silencers reduce the sound of a gunshot from a firearm.
The district attorney’s office says an undercover federal agent purchased three firearm silencers from the Ewards during two separate transactions this year.
The agent also communicated with Dusitn Eward via an email address linked to Ewards' business.
Law enforcement officials have video of Greg Eward mailing one of the two packages containing the suppressors to the agent.
Under federal law, it is illegal for any person to receive or possess firearm silencers that are not registered to that person in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
It is also illegal to transfer firearm silencers in violation of the National Firearms Act.
The district attorney’s office notes Dustin Eward has a record of threatening law enforcement and public officials with violence with posts on YouTube, a personal website, telephone and email.
The district attorney's office notes if convicted on all counts, Dustin Eward faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and Greg Eward faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Live Oak Police Department, the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kirwinn Mike and Michael Coolican.
