Jamie Karslake, 49, pleaded guilty to six charges at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and was sentenced on Friday.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Ben Jones told the court police executed a search warrant at Karslake's property on November 18 where they found guns and drugs.

The court heard 21g of methylamphetamine, 2.75 ounces of cannabis, 0.89g of heroin, one LSD tablet, one ecstacy tablet and two MDMA capsules were found.

Senior Constable Jones said Karslake showed police behind a tarped area in the shed where 12 firearms were found in various bags.

The court heard the father-of-five did not hold a firearms licence and made admissions to possessing drugs of dependence.

He told police the firearms were left at his property by a friend and he had no criminal involvement with them.

Defence lawyer Manny Brennan said Karslake also told police the identity of the friend who owned the firearms in a record of interview.

"This is really a matter where Karslake has been involved in serious offending in the number of firearms that have been retrieved from his house... but he was not aware of the quantity of firearms, just that his friend had requested to leave them in his shed," he said.

Mr Brennan told the court the drugs were for personal use only and Karslake had been cooperative with police in regards to the firearms.

The court heard Karslake began using methamphetamine two-and-a-half years ago when he fell in with the 'wrong crowd'.

Mr Brennan said Karslake had a long history of full-time work and had completed a number of courses while in custody.

"This is his first time in custody and has been a real shock to the system," Mr Brennan said.

Magistrate Ron Saines sentenced Karslake to two months jail followed by a 12 month community corrections order.

He will be required to complete 100 hours of unpaid community work upon his release.

"It is said you were not aware of the number of firearms. Even if it is true, your conduct amounts to a willful blindness to the criminality you contributed to," Mr Saines said.

"This appears to amount to a serious trafficking firearms case that is yet to be determined."

Mr Saines said Karslake's plea of guilty showed his knowledge of the guns and knowledge of his role in storing them.

Mr Saines said a message of deterrence and punishment was important in sentencing, but he also considered Karlslake's guilty plea and cooperation with police.

It was also noted Karslake had no prior criminal history, it was his first time in jail and he had family to support his transition into community.

"There is a reasonable prospect of you not committing further offences into the future," Mr Saines said.

Karslake has already served 53 days of pre-sentence detention and will be released from prison in around one week.

Mr Saines said Karslake would have been sentenced to six months jail if he had pleaded not guilty, showing leniency for the disclosure to the police about the firearms.

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