David Andrew Armstrong was sentenced for the March death of 32-year-old Brian Kaplon. He also was ordered to pay the victim's family $3.7 million.
Armstrong pleaded guilty in September to involuntary manslaughter and using a firearm in the killing.
Kaplon had attended a St. Patrick's Day party at Armstrong's home in the affluent Porter Ranch area.
Armstrong says he accidentally shot his friend in the chest while showing off his new AR-15 semiautomatic rifle in his garage.
Both men had been drinking.
Kaplon, a father of three, was a finance executive at the studio.
"Guns and alcohol never mix," said Judge Beverly Reid O'Connell, adding that her sentence was partially based on the fact that the defendant showed no remorse before today's two-hour hearing.
City News Service contributed to this report.
