SPRINGFIELD — A Belchertown man who co-owned a South Hadley gunsmith shop was sentenced Friday in federal court in Springfield for gun charges, including receipt and possession of unregistered firearms, the making of a firearm in violation of the law, and false or incomplete record keeping.
Max Gaj, 30, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years supervised released by U.S. District Court Judge Mark D. Mastroianni, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office.
Gaj, who owned Dark Horse Gunsmithing, previously pleaded guilty to a number of charges. William Scott, who worked at the store, pleaded guilty in federal court in September to gun charges, including possession of unregistered firearms and false or incomplete record keeping.
A federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) inspection of the shop in 2018 found violations, including “an AK 47-type firearm bearing no serial number or marking as required under the Gun Control Act,” court documents state.
“Over the course of the inspection of Dark Horse, ATF determined that Dark Horse had failed to record, or failed to properly record, the acquisition and/or production of approximately 151 firearms,” the document reads.
“Notably, 21 firearms were transferred without any entry being made in the A&D Record [Acquisition and Disposition Case Record], making such firearms potentially untraceable. Another 98 firearms were found on site at Dark Horse during the February 2018 inspection with no record of their acquisition in the A&D Record.”
Court filings also say that Gaj illegally transferred pistols to customers.
“In October 2015, the Defendant transferred a Glock 17 pistol to a customer, despite knowing that the transfer of such a Glock firearm is prohibited in Massachusetts,” the Feb. 1 filing reads.
One of Gaj’s lawyers, Brad Bailey, called the sentence “reasonable and fair.”
He wrote in an email on Sunday that “our client, who accepted responsibility for his actions very early on in the process, is grateful and appreciative. He looks forward to putting this behind him and moving forward with his life.”
Greta Jochem can be reached at gjochem@gazettenet.com.