Associated Press Published

Former Homeland Security Analyst Appeals Gun Silencer Case

800px-My_Trusty_Gavel.jpg

A former analyst for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has filed an appeal after being sentenced to 1 ½ years in federal prison for making a gun silencer in his home.

Forty-six-year-old Jonathan L. Wienke pleaded guilty to one count of violating the National Firearms Act. He had been found in possession of a loaded .22-caliber revolver at his workplace in Washington last year, prompting federal officials to search his West Virginia home.

The appeal was filed Monday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski told the court that a federal agent deemed Wienke’s silencer to be “the most effective silencer that he had ever seen.”

Assistant federal public defender Nicholas J. Compton told the court the silencer was intended for use at a firing range.

Wienke has moved to Pennsylvania and remains free on bond, pending appeal.