GREAT FALLS — A north-central Montana woman has been convicted of two federal charges for lying on paperwork to buy a handgun that she then gave to a 17-year-old boy as an early birthday present.
A jury convicted Susan Kaytlin Scott of Shelby on Tuesday of false statement during a firearms transaction and transfer of a handgun to a juvenile, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer and it is illegal for unlicensed people to sell or transfer a handgun to anyone under the age of 18.
Prosecutors said Scott, 52, filled out paperwork at a sporting goods store in Great Falls to buy a Taurus 9 mm handgun in November 2018 and said she would be the owner.
The case came to light when the boy reportedly pointed the gun at Scott during an argument, federal prosecutors said. A juvenile witness also told investigators the boy and three friends would take out the handgun in his bedroom and point it at things in the room or at each other while it was loaded with a magazine but without a round in the chamber.
“Federal firearms laws are in place to protect us from dangerous use. Lying to buy a handgun and then giving it unsupervised to a youth who points the loaded firearm at people is a serious offense,” U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said in a statement.
U.S. District Judge Brian Morris scheduled sentencing for June 4 and continued Scott’s release.