> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Georgia, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-middle-district-of-georgia/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:03:20.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:03:20.000Z
- Description: In the Middle District of Georgia, 71% of the 721 people sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a sentence within the guideline range. For all 94 federal districts, 52% were within the range. The median prison term in this district was 60 months, compared with 42 month
- 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 Georgia, FY2016–](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-georgia/) › Firearms: Middle District of Georgia

**In brief:** In the Middle District of Georgia, 71% of the 721 people sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a sentence within the guideline range. For all 94 federal districts, 52% were within the range. The median prison term in this district was 60 months, compared with 42 months for all districts.

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 721 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/).

## Sentences Within the Guideline Range

509 of the 721 people (71%) were sentenced within the advisory guideline range. 81 (11%) were below the range at the government's request, and 107 (15%) were below it without a government request. 24 (3%) were above the range.

The within-range share for all offenses in this district was 66%, which is also higher than the 52% for firearms cases in all 94 districts. The records do not show why the share is higher.

## Prison Terms

680 of the 721 people (94%) received a prison term, and 37 (5%) received probation only. The share sent to prison was also 94% for all 94 districts.

The median prison term was 60 months. A quarter received 96.2 months or more, and a quarter received 37 months or less. For all offenses in this district, the median was 51 months. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 102 of the 719 people with that information recorded (14%).

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 49               | 57 months     | 96%            |
| 2017        | 49               | 54.5 months   | 96%            |
| 2018        | 55               | 60 months     | 96%            |
| 2019        | 66               | 52 months     | 97%            |
| 2020        | 68               | 60 months     | 97%            |
| 2021        | 76               | 62 months     | 99%            |
| 2022        | 105              | 60 months     | 95%            |
| 2023        | 72               | 60 months     | 99%            |
| 2024        | 102              | 64 months     | 93%            |
| 2025        | 79               | 70 months     | 95%            |

## Guilty Pleas and Trials

693 of 721 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 28 were convicted after a trial. The guilty plea rate was 97% for all 94 districts.

The median prison term was 60 months after a guilty plea and 120 months after a trial, based on 28 people. Among those who pleaded guilty, 75% had a written plea agreement and 25% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Which Firearms Guidelines Applied?

Firearms is the Commission's offense type. The primary guideline was §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition) for 654 people. Each of 3 other guidelines had 1 person: §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility), §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), and §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials).

## Criminal History, Supervision, and Fines

13% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 27% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

676 people (94%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 16 people (2%), and restitution for 40 (6%).

## Firearms Cases in the District

Firearms cases were 18% of the 4,094 people sentenced in this district. 219 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 502 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. Yearly counts range from 49 to 105.

Fort Benning, Moody AFB, and Robins AFB, all in Georgia, are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and these numbers do not describe any installation.

## What the Records Cannot Show

The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served. The records do not show the facts of any case.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Georgia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Georgia Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (721). 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 Georgia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-georgia/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Georgia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-middle-district-of-georgia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Georgia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-other-sentences-middle-district-of-georgia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Georgia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-middle-district-of-georgia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Georgia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-middle-district-of-georgia/) (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.