Oregon man pleads guilty to possessing machine gun

EUGENE – An Oregon man with ties to the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a machine gun.

The Register-Guard reported that 54-year-old Michael Ray Emry on Monday pleaded guilty. Sentencing is scheduled for April 3.

The ATF says the M2 machine gun Emry possessed was capable of firing 550 to 650 rounds per minute.

Emry admitted that he took the gun from a shop where he works in Idaho. Emry says the owner of the shop didn’t know that he had taken the weapon.

Emry described himself as an “embedded reporter” during the refuge takeover one year ago. He was not indicted for his role in the occupation and the weapons charge was not connected to the incident.