Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025
In the District of Maryland, 1,062 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 18% of the district's 6,044 sentenced people. The median prison term was 48 months, compared with 42 months for firearms offenses in all 94 federal districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 › Firearms: District of Maryland
In brief: In the District of Maryland, 1,062 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 18% of the district's 6,044 sentenced people. The median prison term was 48 months, compared with 42 months for firearms offenses in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,062 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
How Long Were Firearms Prison Terms?
Of the 1,062 people, 1,045 (98%) received a prison term, and 12 (1%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 48 months (4 years). A quarter received 66 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less.
For firearms offenses in all 94 districts, 94% were sent to prison and the median prison term was 42 months. For all offenses in the District of Maryland, the median was 48 months. The firearms median here was higher than the first figure and the same as the second.
Position Against the Guideline Range
Within the guideline range were 400 people (38%). Another 387 (37%) were below the range at the government's request, and 177 (17%) were below it without a government request. A total of 96 (9%) were above the range.
For firearms in all 94 districts, 52% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 31%. The share within the range for Maryland firearms cases was lower than the all-district firearms figure and higher than the all-offense figure for the district.
The Guidelines Used
"Firearms" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's category, and cases are placed in it by primary guideline. The most common was §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition), with 955 people. Next was §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility), with 11 people, and §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials) had 1.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 111 of the 1,060 people with that information recorded (10%).
Guilty Pleas Versus Trials
Of the 1,062 people, 1,029 (97%) pleaded guilty, and 33 were convicted after a trial. The all-district figure for firearms was 97%, and for all offenses in this district it was 95%.
The median prison term was 46 months after a guilty plea and 78 months after a trial, based on 33 people. Among guilty pleas, 98% had a written plea agreement and 2% were straight pleas with no agreement.
After Prison and Other Penalties
Supervised release was ordered after prison for 1,037 people (98%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 5 (less than 1%), and restitution for 22 (2%).
In criminal history, 9% were in the lowest category and 19% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Pattern
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 462 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 600. The yearly table shows the median prison term between 42 months and 52 months in every year. The lowest median, 42 months, is in both fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025.
The fiscal year starts October 1 and ends September 30. The records do not show why any year differs from another.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 89 | 46 months | 96% |
| 2017 | 114 | 46 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 127 | 48 months | 95% |
| 2019 | 132 | 52 months | 95% |
| 2020 | 77 | 46 months | 99% |
| 2021 | 91 | 51 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 105 | 47 months | more than 99% |
| 2023 | 98 | 46 months | 96% |
| 2024 | 108 | 42 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 121 | 42 months | 98% |
Limits of the Figures
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted, so cases that ended in acquittal or dismissal do not appear. Terms are those imposed at sentencing, not the time served.
Fort Meade, Maryland, and Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, are inside this district. Service members are tried in military courts, which are separate from this federal district court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Maryland (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Maryland") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (1,062). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.