A Gassville man who accidently shot himself while cleaning a gun and ended up being arrested when it was discovered he was a felon appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday.
Forty-five-year-old Michael Gage pled guilty to the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to three years probation.
Gage had been convicted of drug charges in Missouri and it is illegal in Arkansas for a felon to be in possession of a weapon
A sheriff’s deputy who investigated the incident in early 2020 reported asking Gage if he had a Governor’s Pardon or court orders that would have restored his right to handle weapons.
Gage was alleged to have said his right to be around firearms had been reinstated. He was told to contact his attorney and have any paperwork pertaining to the restoration sent to him and then to provide it to the sheriff’s office.
Both Gage and his wife were quoted in the probable cause affidavit as saying the gun belonged to the wife and that the deputy making out the report had
“lied” in some manner.
Gage then asserted he would not get the paperwork pertaining to the restoration of his right to be in possession of firearms because of the unspecified lie the deputy had put in the report.
Gage told investigators he was sitting at his dining room table cleaning a pistol and that the weapon slipped out of his hand.
He said during his attempt to grab the weapon, it went off. The bullet was reported to have gone through his arm and into the wall behind him.
When the Baxter County sheriff’s deputy arrived at the scene, he reported Gage was in the garage of the residence putting a bandage on his arm.
Gage was said to have refused any further medical attention.
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