Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025
1,152 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 1,119 (97%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 37 months. For all 94 federal districts together, the median for firearms offenses was 42 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 › Firearms: District of New Mexico
In brief: 1,152 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 1,119 (97%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 37 months. For all 94 federal districts together, the median for firearms offenses was 42 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,152 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.
Criminal History Differs From the Rest of the District
14% of the people in firearms cases were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 21% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this measure applies only to federal cases.
Firearms cases were 4% of the 29,766 people sentenced in the district. For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 3.5 months, and for firearms cases it was 37 months.
What Prison Terms Looked Like
30 people (3%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Among those sent to prison, a quarter received 60 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 114 of the 1,152 people with that information recorded (10%). Nationally, 78,851 people were sentenced for firearms offenses, and 94% were sent to prison.
Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range
Sentences were within the guideline range for 48% of the 1,151 people with that information (548). 28% (327) were below it at the government's request. 20% (233) were below it without a government request, and 4% (43) were above it.
Across all districts in this offense type, 52% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 59%.
Guilty Pleas, Trials, and Agreements
1,136 people (99%) pleaded guilty, and 16 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 37 months after a guilty plea and 75 months after a trial. The trial group is small and says little about every trial.
Among guilty pleas, 82% had a written plea agreement and 18% were straight pleas. Nationally, 97% of people in this type pleaded guilty.
Guidelines Behind the Cases
§2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition) was the primary guideline in 1,093 cases. §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials) had 4, and §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility) had 1.
1,087 people (94%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 47 (4%), and restitution for 42 (4%).
Counts by Fiscal Year
359 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 793 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. A fiscal year starts on October 1 and ends the following September.
The yearly count peaked at 191 in 2022 and was 89 in 2025. The yearly median ranged from 31.5 months in 2021 to 51 months in 2019. The records show these changes and cannot show their causes.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 73 | 38.5 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 112 | 37 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 78 | 40 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 96 | 51 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 85 | 36 months | 99% |
| 2021 | 122 | 31.5 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 191 | 36 months | 99% |
| 2023 | 187 | 40 months | 99% |
| 2024 | 119 | 46 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 89 | 41 months | 98% |
Limits of This Comparison
Cannon AFB, Holloman AFB, and Kirtland AFB are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, and no link is drawn between those cases and these federal cases. The data counts convicted, sentenced people only, and the terms are those ordered, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Mexico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Mexico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (1,152). 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 Mexico, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Mexico, 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.