Dallas Beau Leece, 27, sentenced after shortened rifles discovered in Tamworth

Dallas Beau Leece entered last-minute guilty pleas in Tamworth Local Court this week, on the same day he was set to front a hearing to defend the string of charges.

The court heard the 27-year-old had had a guns ban slapped on him by police several months before his arrest on the morning of June 29, and was also on good behaviour orders and parole.

Magistrate Mark Whelan heard submissions and read the document detailing the case against Leece.

He said he needed to deter Leece from this type of offending and also needed to deter others considering it.

"The community has high expectations that unlawful firearms should not be in the wrong hands," he told the court.

"Unlawful weapons provide a significant threat to public safety."

He acknowledged there was some overlap in the seven offences Leece was charged with, which related to the two firearms.

He said the two .22 rifles were "significantly shortened" which made them "easy to conceal", though the offending involved no use or threatened use of them.

The remarks came after defence solicitor Alex Floyd submitted that where the guns were found, in the backyard on top of a barbecue, showed a lack of planning.

"They were only there about five minutes prior to that," Leece then interjected via video link from Shortland Correctional Centre, telling the court he wanted to be honest.

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He was reminded he had a lawyer present to speak on his behalf.

Mr Floyd agreed Leece was subject to firearm and weapon prohibition orders at the time, despite not having any convictions for that type of offending on his record.

"I can't make any submissions ... why they were made in this particular case," he said.

He told the court Leece had been under the "scrutiny" of police.

He detailed to the court Leece's history of drug abuse and said he had been getting health treatment in the community before being taken into custody.

He said jail had been hard on Leece, that he sometimes had to spend 22 or 24 hours a day in his cell in segregation, and wanted to live away from Tamworth with family.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Rebecca Skivington told the court the offending involved aggravating circumstances.

She said that the shortened firearms weren't stored safely and could be dangerous if they fell into the "wrong hands".

The set of agreed facts said police went to a Tamworth home about 9.40am on June 29.

Officers found a plastic Coles shopping bag on a barbecue on the back verandah, which had one of the shortened firearms inside.

It also had a Woolworths shopping bag in it, which contained the other shortened firearm.

Leece told police at the time he had taken them off a friend because he feared for the friend's safety.

Mr Whelan found special circumstances in the case and sentenced Leece to a total of 20 months behind bars, with 10 months non-parole. The sentence took into account a small discount for his pleas.

With time served he will become eligible for parole in April next year.

Leece was sentenced for two counts of possessing a shortened firearm without authority; two counts of acquiring a firearm subject to a prohibition order; and not keeping a firearm safely.

Further charges of possessing ammunition without a licence, permit or authority; as well as acquiring ammunition subject to a prohibition order, were taken into account.

Leece was not resentenced for the good behaviour orders he was on after the court heard one had expired, one was nearing its end date, and his parole had expired six days after his arrest.

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