Idaho man sentenced for the unlawful possession of firearms, silencers

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) - A 41-year-old Glenns Ferry man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 46 months in federal prison based upon his April 2021 guilty plea for the unlawful possession of firearms and the possession of unregistered silencers, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., announced. 

U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Travis Richard Hampton to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. 

Hampton pleaded guilty to the charges on April 22, 2021.

According to court records, on January 5, 2021, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on Hampton’s vehicle in Gooding County, Idaho. Hampton was the driver and he was accompanied by one passenger.  A search of the vehicle was conducted pursuant to a search warrant and seven firearms were located, along with other dangerous items.  It was determined that four of these firearms were jointly possessed by Hampton and the passenger, and which they intended to sell together. Hampton is prohibited from possessing firearms as a result of a prior felony conviction for Injury to Child in Elmore County, Idaho in 2008. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) also executed a search warrant at Hampton’s residence in Elmore County, Idaho.  There, agents located two additional firearms, four non-commercially manufactured silencers with no serial numbers, and other dangerous items.  None of the silencers were registered to Hampton under the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as is required by law.

Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez credited the cooperative efforts of the ATF, the Twin Falls Police Department, the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, and the Idaho State Police, which led to charges.