An Inuvik man will spend five more months behind bars for firing a gun in frustration following being rescued from a suicide attempt.

The man was sentenced in N.W.T. Supreme Court in Yellowknife on Thursday. CBC is choosing not to name the man to respect his privacy.

Two years ago, the man was smoking salvia and drinking in his stepdad's residence when he decided to take his own life, according to facts agreed upon by the Crown and defence. He sawed down a shotgun and tried to shoot himself before a friend pushed the gun away.

In frustration, he shot out the door of the residence, then walked outside and fired a shot into a snowbank. His friend talked him down and he agreed to drop the gun in the snow.

"He still has a lot of time to change the direction of his life," said Justice Louise Charbonneau, as she sentenced the man to a 20-year firearms prohibition, submitting a mandatory DNA sample, and a probation period after his three-and-a-half years of custody, minus time served.

The man has been in jail for over two years as the case has gone through the courts, leaving him with five months left of jail time.

'Extremely dangerous and reckless'

The man had pleaded guilty to one count of recklessly discharging a firearm.

In April, the prosecution argued that the man's firearms prohibition and criminal record should be taken into account, and that leaving the gun in the snow could have caused someone to get hurt.

The prosecution asked for five years of custody, saying that while the first shot was an attempt to take his own life, the others were not, and should be looked at separately.

The second shot could easily have had devastating consequences. - Justice Louise Charbonneau

Charbonneau disagreed. She said that while leaving a gun in the snow was "not a good thing," the fact that he was no longer carrying a gun in his distress was probably for the best, especially when police later confronted him and his friend.

She also said that the man had not been keeping or storing weapons — he took his stepfather's gun only to harm himself.

Instead, Charbonneau agreed with defence attorney Kate Oja's April description of her client as a classic example of "intergenerational trauma," detailing the abuse and systemic racism faced by the man and his family.

However, Charbonneau did not agree with Oja's suggestion that the man should leave custody immediately and go straight to probation.

"Firing at a door without knowing who is on the other side is extremely dangerous and reckless," Charbonneau said.

"The second shot could easily have had devastating consequences."

Charbonneau encouraged the man not to drink in the future, but said she would not put it in his probation requirements.

"I don't think you should ever drink again," she said. "But I want to set you up [for success]."