Coram Gun King Sentenced for Machinegun Smuggling

Coram, MT – In a shocking turn of events, 71-year-old John Stewart Davis was handed down a severe sentence yesterday, receiving 48 months in the slammer for his role in illegal gun dealing and the manufacture and transfer of an unregistered machinegun.

The sentence, handed down by Chief District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen, marked the culmination of a lengthy investigation into Davis’ illicit firearm activities.

Davis had been charged with three counts after pleading guilty on June 20, 2016. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart’s filing detailed how Davis had dealt in firearms without a license for over two decades. The charges specifically pertained to the years 2013-2015, during which he sold firearms across state lines and manufactured a machinegun that was not registered.

Undercover law enforcement officers were instrumental in accumulating evidence against Davis. They purchased weapons from his shop on multiple occasions, both at gun shows and via clandestine meetings. During one such transaction, agents witnessed Davis demonstrating the workings of a homemade machinegun, which he claimed to have made himself. The officers also observed firearms and firearm parts strewn about his workshop, including tools for gunsmithing. Many of these sales were conducted without proper documentation.

Not content with simply selling illegal firearms, Davis had also been altering their identities by obliterating serial numbers to ensure they could not be traced back to him. This brazen disregard for the law was finally brought to justice thanks to a combined effort from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart and her team prosecuted the case, while the aforementioned agencies conducted the investigation. Davis now faces a lengthy term in federal prison, followed by three years’ supervised release, for his flagrant disregard for gun control laws and public safety.