Federal prosecutors announced last week they will appeal the sentence of a former Blanding city councilman convicted under the Violence Against Women Act.
Randee Lee Bayles, 51, was given just 24 months of probation and a $1,000 fine by U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball on May 9.
Bayles claimed he did not understand that a person subject to a protective order is prohibited from possessing a firearm under the federal law.
Bayles' ex-wife, Jeroldene Bailey, asked a San Juan County judge for a protective order in 1998 after suffering, she said, from physical abuse and threats of abuse throughout their 27-year marriage.
Undercover federal agents met with Bayles while he was under that order and said he bragged about owning hundreds of rifles and handguns.
The U.S. attorney's office in Utah announced Wednesday it will appeal the sentence, because prosecutors believe Kimball erred in the application of certain guidelines.
Prosecutors said Bayles was sufficiently informed of the law at the time the protective order was granted.