Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Chad Eric Jones, 43, of Madison, Florida, was sentenced on April 29, 2014, to one year in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle following acceptance of his guilty plea in November of last year.  Jones, a federally licensed firearms dealer, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of selling firearms to a convicted felon and a single count of selling a handgun to a person under 21 years of age.

In September of last year, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with the assistance of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the Madison Police Department, executed a search warrant at Jones’ residence and place of business, Gunslingers Pawn and Gun on Duval Street in Madison.

While executing the search warrant at Gunslingers Pawn and Gun, agents seized 67 firearms not listed in the Gunslingers acquisition and disposition book.  Jones ultimately forfeited all of these firearms to the government and surrendered his federal firearms license.

During the course of the investigation, agents obtained an audio recording in which Jones admitted that he intentionally kept certain firearms out of his acquisition and disposition book to conceal the fact that he was selling firearms to prohibited persons.  If a firearm was not in his acquisition and disposition book, Jones believed that government agents would be unable to determine that he had sold the firearm to a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and the Madison Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason S. Beaton.

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