Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 174 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the District of New Hampshire. 83% received a prison term, and the median prison term was 30 months. For firearms cases in all 94 districts, 94% were sent to prison and the median prison term was 42 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2 › Firearms: District of New Hampshire
In brief: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 174 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the District of New Hampshire. 83% received a prison term, and the median prison term was 30 months. For firearms cases in all 94 districts, 94% were sent to prison and the median prison term was 42 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 174 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.
Sentences Were Often Below the Guideline Range
The guideline range is the recommended sentence calculated under the federal sentencing guidelines. Only 31% of firearms sentences in this district (54 people) were within it. 39% (67) were below the range at the government's request, 26% (45) were below the range without a government request, and 5% (8) were above the range.
For firearms cases in all 94 districts, 52% of sentences were within the range. In this district, the share within the range for all offenses combined was 31%, the same as for firearms.
Prison Terms and Probation
145 of the 174 people (83%) received a prison term. 22 people (13%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 30 months, or 2.5 years. A quarter received 57 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less.
The median prison term for all offenses in the district was also 30 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
How the Cases Ended
168 of 174 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 6 were convicted after a trial. 98% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 30 months. After a trial it was 31 months, based on 5 people sentenced to prison.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 7 of the 173 people with that information recorded (4%). A fine was ordered for 7 people (4%), and restitution for 8 (5%). 142 people (82%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, and the median term was 36 months.
Which Guideline Applied
The U.S. Sentencing Commission places each case in an offense type by its primary guideline. For firearms, §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition) was the primary guideline for 169 of the 174 people. One person was sentenced mainly under §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials), and one under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Firearms cases were 10% of the 1,754 people sentenced in the district. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it.
Criminal History
36% of the group were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 14% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so the comparison cannot be extended to military cases.
The Commission's category counts prior convictions and affects the guideline range, but the sheet here does not break prison terms down by category.
Year-by-Year Figures
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 75 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 99. A fiscal year runs October 1 to September 30. The yearly counts range from 11 to 24 people. The median prison term ranges from 11.3 months in 2020 to 48 months in 2024. With groups this small, one year says little about a trend.
The records do not show why any year differs from another.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 16 | 36 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 24 | 46 months | 92% |
| 2018 | 17 | 20 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 18 | 24 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 16 | 11.3 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 15 | 30 months | 87% |
| 2022 | 19 | 32 months | 89% |
| 2023 | 21 | 18 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 11 | 48 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 17 | 24 months | 100% |
What Is Not in the Records
The data does not show the facts of any case, the type of weapon, or whether other charges were dropped in a plea agreement. It does not cover people who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed, and it cannot say how the same cases would have ended in another district.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Hampshire (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Hampshire") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (174). 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 New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, 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.