Connecticut gun law leads to federal conviction

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man who prompted a lockdown at the University of New Haven when he brought guns to campus has pleaded guilty to a federal weapons charge.

William Dong, a former UNH student, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to transporting a Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle into a state where that gun is banned. Connecticut outlawed the weapon after a similar gun was used in December 2012 to kill 26 people inside the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

Dong was arrested Dec. 3, 2013, after a bystander alerted police and authorities found handguns and the Bushmaster in his car. At his home, they later found 2,700 rounds of ammunition and newspaper clippings about the Aurora, Colorado, theater shooting.

Dong already faces prison time after being convicted of state charges.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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