Harold Keith Temple of Madison was sentenced last week to three years in prison for dealing firearms without a license, according to an April 7 announcement by U.S. Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger for the Southern District of Mississippi and ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about illegal firearms sales and their connection to violent crime both locally and internationally.
Court documents show that Temple continued selling guns at auctions and other locations after being warned by federal agents that such activity was against federal law without a proper license. The court noted during sentencing that more than 700 guns sold by Temple were later found in the possession of convicted felons, arrested individuals, or linked to crimes. Some of these firearms turned up outside Mississippi, including neighboring states and as far away as El Salvador.
Temple was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2025 and pleaded guilty in November 2025. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives led the investigation into his activities.
“This defendant’s actions showed a complete disregard for public safety—illegally selling guns without a license to convicted felons that resulted in violent crime here in the states and as far away as El Salvador,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “ATF will continue to work alongside our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure these offenders are removed from our communities and held fully accountable in federal court with a significant sentence to be served in prison.”
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to use Department of Justice resources against illegal immigration, cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and perpetrators of violent crime.
