Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025
In the District of New Jersey, 1,112 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 17% of the district's 6,441 sentenced people. The median prison term was 50 months, higher than the 42 months for firearms offenses across all 94 districts, and 31% had a criminal
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 7 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 › Firearms: District of New Jersey
In brief: In the District of New Jersey, 1,112 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 17% of the district's 6,441 sentenced people. The median prison term was 50 months, higher than the 42 months for firearms offenses across all 94 districts, and 31% had a criminal history in the highest category.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,112 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.
Prison Terms Were Higher Than the National Median
1,067 of the 1,112 people (96%) received a prison term, and 23 (2%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 50 months (4.2 years). A quarter received 77 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less.
For firearms offenses across all 94 districts, 94% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 42 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 37 months.
The median for firearms was higher than both of those figures.
The Guideline Behind Most Cases
The Commission assigns the "Firearms" offense type from the primary guideline. 1,085 of the 1,112 people were sentenced mainly under §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition).
The remaining cases were §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility) with 7 people, §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) with 2, and §2K1.5 (Possessing Dangerous Weapons or Materials While Boarding or Aboard an Aircraft) with 1.
Criminal History Was a Large Factor in This Group
Criminal history is scored from category I (lowest) to category VI (highest). 9% of the people were in category I, and 31% were in category VI.
Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so there is no military counterpart for this measure. The records here do not show how criminal history affected any one sentence.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
For 1,110 people, the records show where the sentence fell against the guideline range. 47% (519) were within the range. 31% (340) were below it at the government's request, 21% (235) were below it without a request, and 1% (16) were above it.
For firearms across all 94 districts, 52% were within the range, and for all offenses in this district, 37% were.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 98 of the 1,109 people with that information recorded (9%).
Guilty Pleas Compared With Trials
1,082 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 30 were convicted after a trial. 95% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 5% were straight pleas.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 48 months. After a trial it was 120 months, based on 29 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The records cannot show why these medians differ.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
1,062 people (96%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 36 people (3%), and restitution for 6 people (less than 1%).
Yearly Counts
333 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 779 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.
The table lists each year. The yearly medians run between 38 months and 72 months, and the records do not show what moved them.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 65 | 63 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 65 | 72 months | 95% |
| 2018 | 74 | 63.5 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 129 | 57 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 115 | 48 months | 97% |
| 2021 | 121 | 42 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 151 | 46 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 146 | 38 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 163 | 48 months | 99% |
| 2025 | 83 | 53.5 months | 99% |
What the Records Cannot Show
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court, so this post reports federal numbers on their own.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Jersey (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Jersey") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (1,112). 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 Jersey, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of New Jersey, 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.