Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025
Firearms offenses were 40% of the 9,425 people sentenced in the Eastern District of Missouri in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 3,724 people. 3,570 (96%) received a prison term, and the median was 38 months. For all 94 federal districts, the median for this offense type was 42 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY201 › Firearms: Eastern District of Missouri
In brief: Firearms offenses were 40% of the 9,425 people sentenced in the Eastern District of Missouri in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 3,724 people. 3,570 (96%) received a prison term, and the median was 38 months. For all 94 federal districts, the median for this offense type was 42 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 3,724 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.
The Largest Offense Type in This District
The 3,724 people sentenced for firearms offenses made up 40% of everyone sentenced in the Eastern District of Missouri in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. "Firearms" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, assigned from the primary guideline in each case.
Almost all of these cases used one guideline: §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition), for 3,595 people. §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility) was used for 7, and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) and §2K1.1 (Failure to Report Theft of Explosive Materials) for 1 each.
Prison Terms and Probation
Of the 3,724 people, 3,570 (96%) were sent to prison and 126 (3%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. For all districts, 94% were sent to prison.
The median prison term was 38 months (3.2 years). A quarter received 60 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. The median for all districts was 42 months, and the median for all offenses in this district was 46 months.
Trials Are Rare, and Trial Sentences Are Longer
3,693 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 31 were convicted after a trial. For all districts, 97% pleaded guilty. Among guilty pleas, more than 99% had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term was 37 months after a guilty plea and 120 months after a trial. The trial figure covers 31 people. The records do not show how serious each case was, so the gap cannot be assigned to the decision to go to trial.
How Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range
The range was recorded for 3,722 people. Of those, 1,842 (49%) were within it. Another 766 (21%) were below it at the government's request, and 957 (26%) were below it without a request. 157 (4%) were above it.
For all districts, 52% of firearms sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 42% were. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 261 of the 3,723 people with that information recorded (7%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 3,559 people (96%), with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 24 (less than 1%), and restitution for 64 (2%).
In criminal history, 9% were in the lowest category and 21% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Medians and Limits of the Records
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 1,232 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 2,492. Yearly medians in the table run from 36 months to 48 months. The table lists every year for this offense type.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served. The records cannot show why yearly medians differ.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 236 | 48 months | more than 99% |
| 2017 | 224 | 37 months | more than 99% |
| 2018 | 286 | 37 months | 99% |
| 2019 | 486 | 36 months | more than 99% |
| 2020 | 432 | 36 months | more than 99% |
| 2021 | 485 | 37 months | more than 99% |
| 2022 | 435 | 37 months | more than 99% |
| 2023 | 380 | 41 months | 99% |
| 2024 | 423 | 46 months | 99% |
| 2025 | 337 | 46 months | more than 99% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (3,724). 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 Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, 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.