The National Rifle Association’s new boss was previously involved in the horrific slaying of a frat house cat when he was a student at college. Several local media reports, recently unearthed by the Guardian, reveal Doug Hamlin was one of five fraternity brothers at the University of Michigan who pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty in 1980. The sadistic attack was apparently prompted by the fact that Hamlin and his fellow students had been unable to train the cat, named BK, to use its litterbox. Their solution? To capture the animal, cut its paws off, string it up and set it on fire. One of Hamlin’s former frat brothers described the incident to the newspaper as “regrettable” and “not a good chapter for anybody.” Hamlin himself has reportedly declined to comment on the historic reports, with the charges having apparently been expunged from his record after he completed 200 hours of community service focused on providing care to animals.