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# Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-eastern-district-of-wisconsin/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:16:29.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:16:29.000Z
- Description: In the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 565 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 80% received a prison term, compared with 94% across all 94 federal districts, and the median prison term was 36 months, compared with 42 months nationally. Most of these sentences wer
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-wisconsin/) › Firearms: Eastern District of Wisconsin

**In brief:** In the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 565 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. 80% received a prison term, compared with 94% across all 94 federal districts, and the median prison term was 36 months, compared with 42 months nationally. Most of these sentences were below the guideline range.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 565 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Who Went to Prison and Who Received Probation

Of the 565 people sentenced, 450 (80%) received a prison term. Another 99 (18%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Across all 94 federal districts, 94% of people sentenced for firearms offenses were sent to prison.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission groups every federal case into an offense type. "Firearms" is the Commission's category, and this post covers only people sentenced under it in this district. The Commission's data counts people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it.

## Length of Prison Terms

Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 36 months (3 years). A quarter received 60 months or more, and a quarter received 18 months or less. The median for firearms cases in all districts together was 42 months.

Prison terms here are the terms imposed by the court, not time actually served. The median for all offenses in this district was 48 months, so firearms cases had a lower median than the district's cases overall.

## Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range

Only 17% of the firearms sentences (94 people) were within the guideline range. Another 29% (166) were below the range at the government's request, and 52% (292) were below the range without a government request. Sentences above the range were 2% (13).

In all districts together, 52% of firearms sentences were within the range. The district's own figure for all offenses was 17%, the same as for firearms cases.

The records do not show why a court sentenced below the range in any one case.

## Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums

A total of 549 of the 565 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 16 were convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 97% had a written plea agreement and 2% were straight pleas with no agreement.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 36 months. After a trial it was 77 months, based on only 16 people. The sheet cannot show whether the difference comes from the charge, the facts, or the choice of a trial.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 53 of the 564 people with that information recorded (9%).

## Which Guidelines Applied

The most common primary guideline was §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition), with 537 people. Another 4 people were sentenced mainly under §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials).

Firearms cases were 19% of the 2,907 people sentenced in this district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, but the federal data does: 21% of these people were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 15% in the highest, category VI.

## Supervision and Financial Penalties

After prison, 429 people (76%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 8 people (1%), and restitution for 23 (4%).

## Year-by-Year Counts

Fiscal years run from October 1 to the end of September. The district sentenced 181 people for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 384 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The yearly table shows the count, the median prison term, and the guilty plea rate for each year.

Yearly counts are small, so single-year medians should be read with care. The table does not show why any year differs from another.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 56               | 40 months     | 96%            |
| 2017        | 40               | 32 months     | 95%            |
| 2018        | 45               | 40 months     | 93%            |
| 2019        | 40               | 36 months     | 95%            |
| 2020        | 45               | 30 months     | 98%            |
| 2021        | 39               | 22 months     | 100%           |
| 2022        | 64               | 31 months     | 94%            |
| 2023        | 87               | 36 months     | 100%           |
| 2024        | 64               | 39 months     | 97%            |
| 2025        | 85               | 46 months     | 100%           |

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (565). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-wisconsin/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-eastern-district-of-wisconsin/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-eastern-district-of-wisconsin/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-eastern-district-of-wisconsin/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-eastern-district-of-wisconsin/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.