Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025
In the District of Puerto Rico, 1,595 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 1,534 (96%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 33 months (2.8 years), lower than the 42 months for firearms cases in all 94 federal districts. Sentences within the guid
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 7 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–202 › Firearms: District of Puerto Rico
In brief: In the District of Puerto Rico, 1,595 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 1,534 (96%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 33 months (2.8 years), lower than the 42 months for firearms cases in all 94 federal districts. Sentences within the guideline range were more common here (64%) than nationally (52%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,595 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.
A Lower Median Than Firearms Cases Nationally
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type is "Firearms." It accounts for 1,595 of the 9,794 people sentenced in this district (16%).
Prison was ordered for 1,534 people (96%), and 50 (3%) received probation only. One person received a life sentence.
The median prison term was 33 months. A quarter received 48 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. In all districts, 94% of 78,851 people were sent to prison, and the median was 42 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 60 months. These are terms imposed, not time served.
Mostly One Guideline
Nearly all cases used §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition), with 1,442 people. Other guidelines were small: §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility) with 6, §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) with 1, and §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials) with 1.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 167 of the 1,594 people with that information recorded (10%).
Position Against the Guideline Range
Of the 1,592 people with the information, 1,018 (64%) were within the guideline range. Above the range were 253 (16%), below it without a government request were 171 (11%), and below it at the government's request were 150 (9%).
For all districts, 52% of firearms cases were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 54%. Above-range sentences were 16% here. The sheet gives no national above-range share, so no comparison is made.
Pleas and Trials
A guilty plea was entered by 1,568 of 1,595 people (98%), and 27 were convicted after a trial. The national share was 97%.
The median prison term was 33 months after a guilty plea and 71 months after a trial, based on 26 people sent to prison. The records do not show how the trial cases differed in other ways.
Among the guilty pleas, 72% had a written plea agreement and 28% were straight pleas.
Supervised Release, Money Orders, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 1,528 people (96%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 14 (less than 1%), and restitution for 16 (1%).
On criminal history, 48% of the people were in category I, the lowest, and less than 1% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Totals
The district sentenced 818 people for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 777 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of September.
Yearly counts range from 243 in 2019 to 101 in 2025. Yearly medians range from 30 months to 40 months. The table shows each year without drawing a cause.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 197 | 36 months | 96% |
| 2017 | 198 | 30 months | 99% |
| 2018 | 180 | 33 months | 98% |
| 2019 | 243 | 36 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 173 | 30 months | 99% |
| 2021 | 165 | 30 months | 99% |
| 2022 | 115 | 40 months | 97% |
| 2023 | 121 | 37 months | 98% |
| 2024 | 102 | 37 months | more than 99% |
| 2025 | 101 | 34 months | 100% |
Limits of the Data
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are missing, and the type of firearm and the circumstances are not described.
Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court. These numbers describe federal cases only.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Puerto Rico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Puerto Rico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (1,595). 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 Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, 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.