Tyngsboro cop faces gun charges
A Tyngsboro cop and a Chinese man are charged with illegally making guns and giving unlicensed lessons out of a spot called Hitman Firearms.
Daniel Whitman, 36, of Pelham, N.H., and Bin Lu, 49, a Chinese national residing in Westford, are charged with violating the National Firearms Act.
Whitman, a Tyngsboro police officer, runs Hitman Firearms in the town, with Lu as a manager and investor, the feds say.
“On several occasions, Lu and Whitman did run firearms training camps, consisting of shooting and tactics trainings, for Chinese tourists.
Providing such trainings to foreign nationals requires a license from the U.S. Department of State, which Whitman and Lu never applied for nor received,” U.S.
Attorney Andrew Lelling’s office said.
Prosecutors also said they never had a license to make or have certain guns — but, “Nevertheless, Whitman and Lu allegedly possessed and manufactured items that are covered by the NFA, including a short-barreled rifle and suppressor.”
Both men face up to five years in prison if convicted. They were arrested Wednesday.
Whitman has been on paid leave since the feds told Chief Richard Howe of the investigation in August 2019.
“Officer Whitman will remain on paid administrative leave pending a review of the specific information and allegations included in the criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice today, which we have just received,” the chief said in a statement Wednesday.