North Stonington ― State police have lodged gun charges against a local man accused of possessing an AR-15 rifle and a high-capacity magazine.

State police on Thursday charged Robert P. Martin, 51, of 357 Pendleton Hill Road with illegal possession of an assault weapon and illegal possession of a large-capacity magazine. He was arrested on a warrant in New London Superior Court, where he is facing third-degree assault and disorderly conduct charges in an April domestic violence incident.

The arrest warrant affidavit signed last week by Judge Kevin M. Shea included a sworn statement from Martin’s wife, who said Martin hid his guns from the police after she called 911 to report the alleged assault back in April. She said he owned the automatic rifle, a .45 pistol and a shotgun, and that he uses his mother’s Rhode Island address so he doesn’t have to pay car taxes or register the guns in Connecticut.

Martin’s wife said he purchased the automatic rifle in Rhode Island after she got him a $200 gift certificate about five years ago.

AR-15 rifles and high-capacity magazines have been banned in Connecticut since 2013, when then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed into law an expansion of the existing ban on assault weapons in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The affidavit said police located the guns after Martin, who was in the holding cell at the Troop E Montville barracks following the April incident, told troopers where to find them. The assault rifle had no serial number and was not registered prior to the 2014 deadline for lawfully retaining a previously owned gun.

Police also seized a silencer and a 20-round magazine from the home.

Martin was arraigned Thursday at New London Superior Court and is next scheduled to appear there on Aug. 26, according to the state Judicial Branch website. He was released on a $50,000 bond.

e.regan@theday.com