A Laredo man will spend seven years in federal prison. He had guns he was never allowed to own. Raymond Gutierrez, 55, pleaded guilty last year. A federal judge in the Southern District of Texas sentenced him this week. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos handed down the sentence.

Gutierrez is a convicted felon. Felons cannot own or carry guns under federal law. Court records show he had many guns anyway. One was a silencer with no paperwork. He also pointed a gun at two people. He threatened to kill them, court records show. He was using meth at the time.

The case started in March 2024. Webb County deputies went to Gutierrez's ranch. They were called for a family fight. Court records say Gutierrez fired a gun inside his own house. He also pointed a gun at a person. He said that person stole a gun from him.

Deputies say Gutierrez held two people at gunpoint that day. He threatened to kill them, the case file shows. He also threatened a shootout with deputies, records show. Officers took a 9mm pistol from him during that first call to the ranch.

Agents came back in February 2025. They had a search warrant for the ranch. They searched the property again. This time they found six more guns. Records list five rifles and one shotgun. They also found a silencer with no license. A silencer without a license breaks federal law.

Gutierrez pleaded guilty on July 29, 2025. He admitted he was a felon with guns. Agents from the ATF and the DEA worked the case. Webb County deputies helped too. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Hakala-Finch handled the case for the government.

Felon in possession cases like this are common near the border. Guns often move from South Texas into Mexico. Federal prosecutors in Laredo bring these cases often. They work with local deputies on gun cases. A felony gun charge can mean years in prison. That is on top of any state charges in the same case.

Cases like this also show why deputies take domestic calls seriously. What starts as a family fight can turn up much bigger problems. In this case, one call led agents back to the ranch months later with a search warrant.

Gutierrez was sentenced to 84 months. That is seven years. He must also serve three years of supervised release after he gets out of prison. He is still in custody now. He is waiting to be moved to a federal prison to serve his time.