Lawrence Dreiband, 68, of Alexandria, Va., pleaded guilty Wednesday to dealing firearms without a license.

Drieband is not apologetic.

"I'm opposed to the federal government regulating almost anything," he told ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 reporter Jay Korff. "I think it's ridiculous, for the federal government to do this, to spend the kind of effort that they spent on shutting me down."

Dreiband told investigators he sold the guns after his federal firearms license was revoked on what he called a "technicality." Dreiband admittedly sold the weapons without running background checks on the buyers.

"I didn't have a license so I had no reason to run a background check," he said.

Federal agents say it's inexcusable.

"Criminals can't get guns, they're prohibited from getting guns. If they know that they can go buy one from somebody who's not doing a background check, now you've just possible contributed to the crime problem," said ATF Agent Mike Campbell.

Dreiband was indicted March 6 by a federal grand jury on two charges of gun crime violations. Dreiband faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine at his sentencing.

Dreiband doesn't think the government will lock him up, however. He says he has end-stage renal failure and a very bad heart. He says he hopes to be alive at his sentencing, which is set for January 23, 2009.

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