Springfield Man Sentenced to 48 Months for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Mitchell D. Gibbs, 34, was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Megan Blair Benton to 48 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release as a result of his conviction. This case was part of Operation Spring Cleaning, a multi-agency law enforcement operation conducted in March that identified, apprehended, and initiated prosecution against some of the most violent offenders in the Springfield and Joplin metropolitan areas.

On Nov. 25, 2025, Joplin, Mo. Police Officers responded to a report of gun shots being fired. Upon arrival, officers conducted a traffic stop in the parking lot of a local storage facility. The driver was identified as Gibbs. As officers investigated, they located an empty shell casing near the storage unit owned by Gibbs. Officers observed a handgun partially underneath the driver's seat of Gibbs' vehicle. Gibbs was found in possession of two firearms, a Glock 43x, 9mm firearm, and a Smith and Wesson Model Airweight, .380 caliber firearm. Gibbs admitted he was a convicted felon and he knowingly and illegally possessed firearms in violation of federal law.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Joplin, Missouri Police Department.