A longtime Coram gun dealer was sentenced Thursday to four years in federal prison and three years supervised release for illegally dealing and manufacturing guns over a number of years. 

John Stewart Davis, 71, had pleaded guilty to one count of felony dealing in firearms without a license, unlawful transfer of a machine gun and unlawful possession of unregistered firearms. Seven other felony counts were dropped in the case. 

According to court documents, Davis was charged in June after he sold illegal items on multiple occasions to undercover agents for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

The bureau found that Davis had been dealing in firearms for the past 25 years without a proper license, though federal authorities only charged him with crimes that occurred from 2013 to July 2015. 

Davis has operated JD’s Gunsmithing for 45 years. Prior to 1987 he had a proper license to deal some guns. In addition to his shop, Davis also sold firearms at gun shows in Great Falls, Bozeman, Flathead County and Spokane. 

Undercover agents were able to make eight illegal firearm purchases from Davis between December 2014 and July 2015, including purchases at gun shows in Kalispell and Great Falls. 

At a Great Falls gun show on April 25, 2015 Davis was asked by an undercover agent: “How hard is it to buy if I’m from Canada?” 

Davis responded: “Buy something not papered and tell me you’re not law enforcement.” 

Davis was then asked if the agent could buy a specific gun without paperwork. 

“It would lead authorities back to me if you ever got caught with it,” Davis said. 

He then offered an illegal solution to making the gun untraceable. 

“I can sell it, but it’s in my name,” Davis said. “What you have to do is take that serial number out ... It’s not that hard to do.” 

Davis then offered to obliterate the serial number. 

“If you need, bring it back to me to take that number off. Don’t get caught,” Davis said. 

The agent then asked if Davis could build him an AR-15. 

“I could build you one with no number, just let me know if you need something,” Davis said. 

In another incident at Davis’ shop on May 14, 2015, an undercover agent posing as an out-of-state buyer from South Carolina asked Davis if he would build a fully-automatic AR-15. 

Davis told the agent: “You want a full auto? ... As long as you don’t get caught you can have one... I can do that for you, but if you get caught, they put you in jail in Leavenworth and fine you $10,000 ... If it’s in your home, and they find it, they can take your house away.” 

Davis told the agent he could build the fully automatic gun in two week’s time for a fee of $1,000. He made the agent promise to never tell anybody about the sale. 

In one of the undercover buys Davis told the investigator he had recently sold $200,000 worth of guns at a show in Spokane. In another buy, he estimated that his business was worth around $1 million. 

On July 28, 2015 multiple agencies searched Davis’s residence and garage. Three firearms were found that should have been registered with federal authorities including one rifle and two shotguns with riles that were shorter than their original length. He was also in possession of an unregistered “Street Sweeper” 12-gauge shotgun. 

Davis was also found in possession of machine gun. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

According to court documents, authorities seized 360 guns in the course of the investigation. Sixty-two of the guns will be returned to Davis’ brothers. The government has seized 217 of the guns, and the court order says some will be returned to Davis’ innocent customers. 

 Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.