Auxvasse restaurant owner facing federal firearms charges

An Auxvasse man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally possessing 21 firearms and three firearm silencers.

Billy Bush Owen, 53, was charged in a two-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City on Feb. 10. That indictment was unsealed and made public Tuesday upon Owen’s arrest and initial court appearance. Owen is the owner of Panhead Billy’s BBQ in Kingdom City, Mo.

The federal indictment charges Owen with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms and one count of possessing three unregistered firearm silencers.

Owen, who has been convicted of a felony, allegedly was in possession of 21 firearms on Dec. 9,2015, including handguns, rifles and shotguns, as well as three silencers. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to possess any firearms (including silencers) or ammunition.

Owen also was charged with possessing three silencers that were not registered to him.