Tyler John Mayne had a firearm in a car he was driving when police were making inquiries in Maitland St about an incident at Hungry Jacks on February 28, 2020.

Police prosecutor Matt Hills said the weapon was one of 11 firearms that were stolen in a robbery from Longford in 2019.

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Mayne pleaded guilty to possession of a shortened firearm and possess a firearm when not the holder of a licence of the appropriate category.

He also pleaded guilty to a series of driving offences including unlicensed driving and driving with an illicit drug present on March 15 in Lindsay St, Invermay..

Defence counsel Evan Hughes said Mayne's possession of the weapon was brief.

"He handled it briefly and even tried to talk the owner out of keeping it in his control because the modifications made were dangerous," Mr Hughes said.

He said he had only one prior firearm conviction.

He said at the time of the drug driving Mayne had no prior conviction for driving offences although he was subsequently sentenced for dangerous driving on April 22, 2020.

Magistrate Ken Stanton said the possession of a shortened firearm without a licence was a serious offence.

"The evil of a shortened firearm is that is its ability to be concealed," he said.

He said that Mayne's use of methylamphetamine in the driving incident was part of his longstanding involvement with illicit drugs.

Last week Mayne was sentenced in the Supreme Court to a total of 18 months jail for driving through a red light and crashing into a car and fleeing.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, evading police, driving with an illicit substance in his body, fail to comply with the duties of a driver involved in a crash and possession of ammunition.

Mayne received the jail sentence after Justice Michael Brett accepted reports from officer of the Court Mandated Drug Diversion program who found that he was unsuitable and ineligible for a drug treatment order.