California man sentenced for possessing sawed-off shotgun

The following is a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.

BOISE – Patrick Michael McHenry, 28, of Sacramento, California, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 36 months in prison for possession of an unregistered firearm, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered McHenry to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. McHenry pleaded guilty to the charge on September 18, 2019.

According to court records, McHenry’s semi-truck broke down while driving through Nampa, Idaho. Police contacted McHenry and a drug detection canine alerted on the cab of McHenry’s truck. Inside, officers located a sawed-off shotgun with an obliterated serial number, shotgun shells, methamphetamine, and a digital scale. McHenry admitted to possessing the firearm, which was later identified as a modified Harrington and Richardson, Model Topper 58, 20-gauge shotgun. The shotgun had a shortened barrel that measured 8.5 inches in length, with an overall length of 14 inches. The National Firearms Act requires such a shotgun to be registered if the barrel is less than eighteen inches in length.

This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Nampa Police Department.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please visit: www.justice.gov/projectguardian.