Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025
The District of North Dakota sentenced 276 people for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 42 months (3.5 years), the same as across all 94 districts. By criminal history, 38% of these people were in the highest category, VI, and 11% were in the lowest, cate
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–20 › Firearms: District of North Dakota
In brief: The District of North Dakota sentenced 276 people for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 42 months (3.5 years), the same as across all 94 districts. By criminal history, 38% of these people were in the highest category, VI, and 11% were in the lowest, category I.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 276 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 in Firearms Cases
The Commission assigns each person a criminal history category from category I (lowest) to category VI (highest). In this district's firearms cases, 38% were in category VI and 11% were in category I.
Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this measure applies to the federal cases only. The records here do not link criminal history to any prison term.
Prison Terms
Of the 276 people, 269 (97%) received a prison term, and 6 (2%) received probation only. The median prison term was 42 months. A quarter received 18 months or less, and a quarter received 72 months or more.
Across all 94 districts, 94% of people in this type were sent to prison, and the median was also 42 months. For all offenses in the District of North Dakota, the median was 36 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 25 of the 276 people (9%).
One Guideline Dominates
The offense type is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Firearms" category, and it groups cases by primary guideline. In 267 cases, the guideline was §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition).
2 cases used §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials), and 1 used §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact). Firearms cases were 8% of the 3,337 people sentenced in the district.
Plea and Trial Results
A total of 267 of the 276 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 9 were convicted after a trial. The rate was 97% across all 94 districts, and it was 97% for all offenses in the district.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 41 months. After a trial it was 120 months, based on 9 people. Among guilty pleas, 96% had a written plea agreement and 4% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
The sentence was within the guideline range for 117 people (42%). It was below the range at the government's request for 109 people (39%), and below it without a government request for 43 people (16%). It was above the range for 7 people (3%).
The within-range share was 52% across all 94 districts for this type and 34% for all offenses in the district. The district's share for firearms cases was lower than the national figure for this type and higher than its own overall figure.
Supervised Release and Financial Penalties
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 267 people (97%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 0 people (0%). Restitution was ordered for 19 people (7%).
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 104 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 172 people. A fiscal year starts on October 1 and ends the following September.
In the table, the yearly counts range from 14 people to 42 people. The yearly medians range from 28 months in 2023 to 57 months in 2024. The records cannot show why the figures differ from year to year, and the changes are not a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 36 | 41 months | 94% |
| 2017 | 29 | 33 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 25 | 50 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 14 | 36 months | 93% |
| 2020 | 14 | 52.5 months | 93% |
| 2021 | 27 | 55.5 months | 93% |
| 2022 | 28 | 48 months | 96% |
| 2023 | 33 | 28 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 28 | 57 months | 96% |
| 2025 | 42 | 42 months | 100% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. The records do not show what the firearms charges involved.
Grand Forks AFB and Minot AFB, both in North Dakota, are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and these numbers do not describe them.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of North Dakota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "North Dakota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (276). 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 North Dakota, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of North Dakota, 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.