WEST BRANCH, Iowa (AP) - An Iowa farmer caught possessing firearms after asking the governor to restore the gun rights he lost decades ago has been sentenced to 18 days in jail.

Allan Phillips, 77, of West Branch, has been ordered to report to the Cedar County Jail by Oct. 1.

Judge Henry Latham imposed the jail term under a plea agreement and granted work-release privileges that will allow Phillips to farm from 7 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Phillips lost his gun rights for life in 1978 when he was convicted of a misdemeanor weapons charge. He’d been out of trouble for four decades when he applied in 2017 to the governor’s office for clemency to restore his firearms rights.

State agents conducting a background check as part of the clemency process found during an announced home visit in February that Phillips had three shotguns, a long gun and ammunition. Phillips was charged with illegal possession of a firearm as a felon, even though he’s not a felon.

Under the plea deal, Phillips pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge.

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