Federal jury convicts Belgrade man of unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition

MISSOULA — A federal jury on Monday convicted a Belgrade man of a firearms crime after he was accused of illegally possessing two handguns and ammunition while he was the subject of a court restraining order, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

After a one-day trial that began on Oct. 28, the jury found the defendant, Jordan Charles Kirsch, 34, guilty of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Kirsch faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for March 12, 2025. Kirsch was detained pending further proceedings.

“Firearms involved in domestic disputes often lead to tragic results. Here, Kirsch was under a court order of protection restraining him from any violence against the petitioner, and yet he illegally possessed two guns in violation of federal law. I am pleased the jury agreed with us and convicted him, and I am grateful to our prosecution team and law enforcement partners for their work to protect the safety of our fellow Montanans,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that on Dec. 19, 2023, a state district court judge in Gallatin County conducted a hearing and issued a final Order of Protection for 10 years against Kirsch. The court’s order found that the petitioner was in danger of harm, restrained Kirsch from committing or threatening to commit any acts of violence to the petitioner and ordered Kirsch not to threaten, harass, abuse, follow, stalk, annoy or disturb the petitioner.

In April 2024, a court order was issued for Kirsch to be removed from a Belgrade residence and for possession of the residence to be delivered to the petitioner. A sheriff’s office detective conducting surveillance observed Kirsch exit the residence with a black semi-automatic handgun and fire it 10 to 20 times toward a berm near the property. On May 2, 2024, Kirsch was arrested and evicted from the property. A search warrant was executed on the property, and law enforcement found two firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in various calibers.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI, Missouri River Drug Task Force and Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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