Crown prosecution argued for as much as two years behind bars while defence counsel contended a conditional sentence order is appropriate during a hearing Monday for a Prince George man who was at the centre of a massive haul of guns and bullets from his home slightly more than two years ago.
Much of the hearing, held in Prince George provincial court, was spent itemizing the weapons RCMP seized from his Prospect Point home and matching them to each of the six charges Karl Heinz Haus, 55, pleaded guilty to from the September 2013 incident.
It began when Canada Border Services Agency officers intercepted two packages that originated in Germany and destined for Haus's home address. They contained components used to convert an M-16 assault rifle into a fully automatic weapon.
The information was passed onto the RCMP federal serious and organized crime unit and after the parts were determined to be prohibited, investigators secured a search warrant for the home.
In all, they uncovered nine rifles - a fully-automatic M-16 and a fully-automatic AK-47 among them - as well as three handguns, two of which were loaded, and two shotguns.
They also found five 100-round capacity drum magazines, 50 assault rifle magazines capable of holding 30 to 40 bullets, four bulletproof vests and two replica medieval flails - spiked metal balls attached with chains to wooden handles.
Investigators also discovered 31,000 rounds of large and small-calibre ammunition.
Most of the items were found in the home's garage but some were uncovered in the home's bedrooms, the laundry room and the living room.
The serial numbers on two of the fully-automatic rifles had been defaced, although defence argued that occurred during the process of converting them from semi-automatic.
Rivets on the magazines, which had limited their capacity to five rounds, had been removed. Some were empty, others held just a few rounds while others held as many as 35 and 44 bullets.
RCMP also found a handgun with a two-inch barrel, making it a prohibited weapon, hidden inside a case made to look like a book.
They also found a bag of 17 shotgun shells. Twelve of them were "bolo" rounds, or shells that contain balls connected together by a wire. They turned out to be lawful, the court heard, but the five rounds of flechette shot - razor-sharp needles - are not.
And the four sets of body armour were illegal because they contained ceramic rifle plates, which provides the highest level of protection. About three years ago, they were made illegal without a licence over concerns gangsters equipped with the vests would be more emboldened to hold gun fights in public places.
The ammunition seized ranged from bullets that can be fired in 9 mm handguns to AK-47s and M-16s but was considered a neutral factor, by Crown prosecution, because a licence is not needed to possess ammunition in Canada. A licence is needed to purchase ammunition and Haus had one.
Similarly, the flails - sometimes incorrectly known as morning stars - were part of a selection of medieval armour and weapons mounted high on the home's walls.
Although seized because they are prohibited in Canada, Haus did bring them in through customs and paid duty on them and so, Crown did not pursue charges on those items.
Crown prosecutor Geoffrey McDonald described Haus's case as in the middle range between an outlaw carrying a weapon to aid in committing a crime - no link between Haus and organized crime was found - and someone who committed a regulatory error.
Haus was characterized as a "gun nut" and a "hoarder" but otherwise law-abiding and a pillar of the community. The co-owner with his wife of the Pastry Chef, a bakery and delicatessen located downtown, Haus typically donates more than $20,000 worth of food to various causes in a year.
Cash donations were never made because they owe money to creditors, the court heard.
Some 65 letters speaking to Haus's good character were submitted to the court.
Given the "absolutely massive lethal arsenal" seized, jail time is in order, McDonald argued, despite the fact that Haus probably never intended to allow the firearms to see the light of day.
In arguing for a conditional sentence, which would be served at home with conditions, which would allow Haus to continue to go to work, defence counsel George Leven spoke of his client's good character.
The Pastry Chef employs 15 people and would have to shut down if Haus was sent to jail, Leven told the court. He also noted that eight of the firearms seized are legal to own with the right permitting and described Haus as a "tinkerer" who liked to work on the guns as a stress reliever.
"At first blush, one would think he was preparing for a war but that was not the intention," Leven said. "My submission is he's a collector... and likes to purchase things, he cannot pass up a good deal."
About $50,000 worth of seized items will be forfeited to the Crown once Haus is sentenced.
Provincial court judge Shannon Keyes will issue a decision on sentencing at a later date, likely early in the new year.
