Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025
The Middle District of Florida sentenced 1,525 people for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which was 12% of its 13,145 sentencings. 1,452 (95%) received a prison term, and the median was 57 months (4.8 years). Prison terms were longer here than across all districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016– › Firearms: Middle District of Florida
In brief: The Middle District of Florida sentenced 1,525 people for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which was 12% of its 13,145 sentencings. 1,452 (95%) received a prison term, and the median was 57 months (4.8 years). Prison terms were longer here than across all districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,525 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.
Prison Terms Compared With All Districts
The median prison term for firearms offenses in this district was 57 months. A quarter of those sent to prison received 100 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less.
Across all 94 federal districts, the firearms median was 42 months, and 94% were sent to prison. For all offenses in this district, the median was 57 months, which is the same as the firearms median.
In this district, 1,452 of 1,525 (95%) were sentenced to prison, and 39 (3%) received probation only.
Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements
1,403 of 1,525 people (92%) pleaded guilty, and 122 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 97% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the rate was 95%.
The median prison term was 57 months after a guilty plea and 120 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 120 people sent to prison. The records do not show whether the difference comes from the trial itself or from the cases.
Straight pleas with no agreement were common: 48% of guilty pleas, compared with 52% that had a written plea agreement.
Mandatory Minimums and Guideline Use
A mandatory minimum applied to 342 of the 1,525 people (22%). The main guideline was §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition), used for 1,444 people.
Smaller groups used §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility), 7 people; §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), 2 people; and §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials), 2 people.
Criminal History and the Guideline Range
For criminal history, 17% were in the lowest category and 29% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
For all 1,525 people, 53% (810) were sentenced within the guideline range. 31% (472) were below it without a government request, and 12% (182) were below it at the government's request. 4% (61) were above it.
The share within the range was close to the 52% across all districts. It was higher than the 47% for all offenses in this district.
Supervised Release and Financial Orders
1,438 people (94%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 19 people (1%) and restitution for 52 (3%).
Yearly Changes in the Median
The district sentenced 668 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 857 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal year 2025 had the most, with 217 people.
The yearly median was 60 months in most years from 2016 to 2022. It was 57 months in fiscal year 2023, 48 months in 2024, and 46 months in 2025. The records cannot say what accounts for the lower recent figures.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 149 | 60 months | 94% |
| 2017 | 175 | 60 months | 90% |
| 2018 | 177 | 60 months | 89% |
| 2019 | 167 | 51 months | 90% |
| 2020 | 120 | 60 months | 93% |
| 2021 | 135 | 60 months | 94% |
| 2022 | 122 | 60 months | 93% |
| 2023 | 126 | 57 months | 90% |
| 2024 | 137 | 48 months | 95% |
| 2025 | 217 | 46 months | 92% |
What Is Not in the Records
Only people convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are missing. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these federal numbers.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Florida (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Florida Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (1,525). 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 Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, 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.