DENVER – A Loveland man pleaded guilty Thursday to five federal firearms and explosives charges after he was arrested last May in possession of four pipe bombs at his home.
Bradley Bunn, 54, agreed to plead guilty to one count of making firearms in violation of the National Firearms Act and four counts of possession of an unregistered firearm or destructive device.
He faces up to 10 years in prison, fines of up to $10,000, and up to three years of supervised release for each count, though a judge will make the final determination on his sentence at a hearing scheduled for June 3. Bunn’s plea agreement indicates prosecutors will not ask the judge to impose the maximum possible sentence.
Authorities with the FBI and task force agents served two search warrants at Bunn’s home in the 5500 block of Gabriel Drive in Loveland on May 1 of last year and discovered four pipe bombs between 9 and 14 inches in length.
When he was being interviewed by investigators, Bunn admitted to creating the devices with black powder, .308 powder, fuses ordered online and materials found around his home, including galvanized steel pipes, according to court documents.
When investigators tested the materials of which the bombs were comprised, they found them to be working explosive devices. They also found other bomb-making materials inside his home.
Since Bunn had not registered the bombs with the federal government or adhered to federal regulations, he was charged with the aforementioned counts.
Bunn’s arrest came amid protests over the state’s COVID-19 restrictions which initial filings indicated he was involved in planning for. When he was being interviewed, he was asked by investigators why he had made the bombs, to which he told them he would use them if he “experienced a hard entry at 3 a.m.” by police.
An agent asked him if he was going to “use them on a bunch of clumped up guys out front,” according to the affidavit for his arrest. “F--- yes,” Bunn replied, according to the document.
He also allegedly said in a Facebook message to a friend: “It’s small enough to work with in close quarters yet sufficiently large to turn an entire shielded branch team into manageable size parts for ziplock backs [sic] and 32 oz slurpee [sic] cups.”
“The operation to remove and render safe the explosives discovered in Mr. Bunn's home averted a potentially hazardous situation from endangering innocent people in our community. According to facts in the public record, Mr. Bunn knowingly and willingly assembled home-made explosives with the intent to use them against law enforcement,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in a statement. “The FBI and our partners stand ready to identify, disrupt, and dismantle any plans to inflict harm on our communities and hold individuals accountable for their criminal actions.”
