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# Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:13:52.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:13:52.000Z
- Description: Firearms cases were 30% of the 2,037 people sentenced in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of the 609 people in this offense type, 578 (95%) received a prison term, and the median was 46 months. The median after a trial was 111 months, compared with 45 months after a guilt
- 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 Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-alabama/) › Firearms: Middle District of Alabama

**In brief:** Firearms cases were 30% of the 2,037 people sentenced in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Of the 609 people in this offense type, 578 (95%) received a prison term, and the median was 46 months. The median after a trial was 111 months, compared with 45 months after a guilty plea.

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 609 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/).

## The Largest Share of the District's Sentenced Cases

The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 609 people in its "Firearms" offense type in this district. That is 30% of everyone sentenced in the district in these years.

The most common primary guideline was §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition), with 571 people. Smaller numbers had §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials), 2 people, or §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), 2 people. One person had §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility).

## Trial Sentences Compared With Plea Sentences

576 of the 609 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 33 were convicted after a trial. The all-district guilty plea rate for firearms was 97%.

The median prison term was 45 months after a guilty plea and 111 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 31 people who were convicted at trial and sent to prison.

The records do not show whether the cases that went to trial differed in other ways from the cases that ended in pleas. Among the guilty pleas, 66% had a written plea agreement and 34% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Prison Terms Overall

The median prison term for the 578 people sent to prison was 46 months, or 3.8 years. A quarter received 70 months or more, and a quarter received 27 months or less. 23 people (4%) received probation only.

For all 94 districts, the firearms median was 42 months, and 94% of people went to prison. The median for all offenses in this district was also 46 months.

## Position Against the Guideline Range

303 sentences (50%) were within the guideline range. Another 205 (34%) were below the range without a government request, and 70 (11%) were below it at the government's request. 31 sentences (5%) were above the range.

For all districts, 52% of firearms sentences were within the range, which is about the same as here.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 70 of the 609 people (11%).

## Supervised Release, Financial Orders, and Criminal History

569 people (93%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 22 people (4%), and restitution also for 22 people (4%).

In criminal history, 16% were in the lowest, category I, and 21% in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Fiscal Year Counts

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 217 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 392 people. The fiscal year begins on October 1.

The table shows medians from 37 months to 57 months and yearly counts from 36 to 89 people. The Commission data does not show why counts or medians changed, so the table is not evidence of a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 36               | 37 months     | 89%            |
| 2017        | 42               | 37 months     | 100%           |
| 2018        | 65               | 41.5 months   | 89%            |
| 2019        | 74               | 57 months     | 99%            |
| 2020        | 42               | 40 months     | 93%            |
| 2021        | 52               | 46 months     | 96%            |
| 2022        | 53               | 57 months     | 92%            |
| 2023        | 84               | 43.5 months   | 100%           |
| 2024        | 89               | 48 months     | 97%            |
| 2025        | 72               | 45 months     | 88%            |

## Maxwell AFB and the Limits of the Data

Maxwell AFB, Alabama, appears in this site's court-martial data and is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and the federal numbers here are not about service members.

The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (609). 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 Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-alabama/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Robbery Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (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.