The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Wisconsin announced charges Thursday against Douglas P. Bannister.
The 37 year old Bannister was arrested in Merrill on Wednesday afternoon. He made an initial appearance in federal court in Madison on Thursday.
According to prosecutors, Bannister had the lower receiver to an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 and an unregistered silencer. Bannister is a convicted felon and not allowed to carry a gun. While not a complete weapon, the lower receiver is legally a firearm under federal law.
The arrest was made as part of the federal Dept. of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods act, which combines federal, state, and local police working to limit gun violence. Bannister is being held in custody pending a detention hearing. That hearing has not yet been set. Bannister faces up to 10 years in federal prison on both charges if convicted.
