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# Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-northern-district-of-alabama/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:02:36.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:02:36.000Z
- Description: Firearms cases were 33% of the 4,557 people sentenced in the Northern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,509 people. The median prison term for firearms offenses was 37 months, compared with 42 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. In this district, 64% of firear
- 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 Northern District of Alabama, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-alabama/) › Firearms: Northern District of Alabama

**In brief:** Firearms cases were 33% of the 4,557 people sentenced in the Northern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,509 people. The median prison term for firearms offenses was 37 months, compared with 42 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. In this district, 64% of firearms sentences were within the guideline range, compared with 52% nationally.

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 1,509 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/).

## Firearms as a Share of the District's Cases

Of the 4,557 people sentenced in this district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 1,509 (33%) were in the U.S. Sentencing Commission's firearms category.

The Commission assigns each case to an offense type based on its primary guideline. For firearms, 1,485 of the 1,509 people were sentenced under §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition).

Guideline §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials) covered 2 people, and 1 person was sentenced under §2K1.6 (Licensee Recordkeeping Violations Involving Explosive Materials).

## Prison Terms

A prison term went to 1,371 of the 1,509 people (91%). Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, went to 92 (6%).

Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 37 months (3.1 years). A quarter received 63 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less.

In all 94 districts, 78,851 people were sentenced for firearms offenses. Of those, 94% were sent to prison and the median prison term was 42 months. For all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 46 months.

## Guideline Range Results

The guideline range is the range calculated under the federal sentencing guidelines. Of the 1,509 people, 64% (960) were sentenced within it.

Below the range at the government's request were 11% (173), and below the range without a government request 21% (315). Above the range were 4% (61).

The national share within the range for firearms was 52%. For all offenses in this district, it was 56%.

## Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums

A guilty plea was entered by 1,492 of the 1,509 people (99%), and 17 were convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 86% had a written plea agreement and 14% were straight pleas with no agreement.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 37 months. After a trial it was 87 months, based on 17 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The records cannot show what differed between those cases.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 110 of the 1,505 people with that information recorded (7%).

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 1,366 people (91%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 6 (less than 1%), and restitution for 30 (2%).

On criminal history, 17% were in the lowest category, category I, and 17% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records do not record criminal history.

## Counts and Medians by Year

The federal fiscal year begins October 1 and ends September 30\. The records show 578 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 931 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.

The yearly table shows 103 people in 2016, 205 in 2019, and 131 in 2025\. The yearly median prison term was 48 months in 2018 and 30 months in 2025\. The medians in the later rows are lower than those in 2018 and 2019.

The records cannot show why the counts and medians changed from year to year. They include only people who were convicted and sentenced, and the prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 103              | 37 months     | more than 99%  |
| 2017        | 115              | 37 months     | 97%            |
| 2018        | 155              | 48 months     | 100%           |
| 2019        | 205              | 45 months     | more than 99%  |
| 2020        | 173              | 41 months     | 97%            |
| 2021        | 158              | 40 months     | 99%            |
| 2022        | 154              | 41 months     | more than 99%  |
| 2023        | 160              | 37 months     | more than 99%  |
| 2024        | 155              | 31 months     | 99%            |
| 2025        | 131              | 30 months     | 100%           |

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (1,509). 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 Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-alabama/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-northern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-northern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-northern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-other-sentences-northern-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.