Waynesville Man Sentenced For Possession Of Illegal Machine Guns

Asheville -- June 15, 2023: According to Dena J. King, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Jacob Ryan McClure, 25, of Waynesville, North Carolina, was sentenced to 33 months in prison today for possession of illegal machine guns.

He will also serve three years under supervised release after his release.

The announcement was made today in a press release by the United States Attorney's Office Western District of North Carolina. In accordance with the court's records and today's sentencing hearings, McClure's car was pulled up by Haywood County Sheriff's Office deputies on July 6, 2022, for a traffic infraction. Law authorities discovered 97 unlawful conversion devices, often known as "Glock switches," which are designed to turn firearms into machine guns during the course of the traffic stop in McClure's car. Police also seized four P80 pistols, also known as "Ghost guns," which were privately made weapons that had been modified into machine guns using unauthorized Glock switches. In addition, law enforcement discovered a standard Glock gun with a Glock switch added, a short-barreled 9mm rifle that wasn't registered, ten unregistered gun silencers, and $3,000 in cash. 

Prior to the incident in Haywood County, in August 2021, McClure was apprehended in Tennessee, according to court documents. Police had seized from McClure's rental cabin and car a number of weapons, including converted machineguns, an unregistered silencer, drugs, and more than $10,000 in cash. The Middle District of Tennessee U.S. Attorney's Office filed federal charges against McClure in connection with this offense. Later, the charges were transferred to the U.S. District in Western North Carolina.

In connection with both federal prosecutions, McClure entered a plea of guilty to two counts of machinegun possession on March 3, 2023. When a federal facility is designated, McClure will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons. 

WNCTimes