> ## 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 Northern District of California, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-northern-district-of-california/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:07:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:07:45.000Z - Description: In the Northern District of California, 844 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 32 months, lower than the 42 months for firearms offenses in all 94 districts. Sentences below the guideline range were more common than sentences within i - 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 California, FY](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-california/) › Firearms: Northern District of California **In brief:** In the Northern District of California, 844 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The median prison term was 32 months, lower than the 42 months for firearms offenses in all 94 districts. Sentences below the guideline range were more common than sentences within it. 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 844 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/). ## Below the Range More Often Than Within It The guideline range is the range the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines calculate for each case. For all 844 people, 34% (288) were sentenced within the range. A below-range sentence without a government request applied to 45% (380), and one at the government's request applied to 20% (167). Above-range sentences applied to 1% (9). In all districts, 52% of firearms sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district the share was 24%. ## Firearms Cases in the District's Overall Caseload "Firearms" is an offense type defined by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. These 844 people were 19% of the 4,531 people sentenced in the district. The most common primary guideline was §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition), with 824 cases. Single cases used §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility) and §2K2.6 (Possessing, Purchasing, or Owning Body Armor by Violent Felons). ## Length of Prison Terms A total of 790 of the 844 (94%) received a prison term, and 34 (4%) received probation only. The share sent to prison was also 94% in all districts. The median prison term was 32 months (2.7 years). A quarter received 18 months or less, and a quarter received 48 months or more. The median for all offenses in this district was 30 months. Terms are those imposed at sentencing, not time served. ## Pleas Compared With Trials A total of 815 of 844 (97%) pleaded guilty, and 29 were convicted after a trial. The rate was 97% in all districts and 95% for all offenses in this district. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 31 months. After a trial it was 47 months, based on 28 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. Among the guilty pleas, 80% had a written plea agreement, and 20% were straight pleas with no agreement. ## Mandatory Minimums Were Uncommon A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 31 of the 844 people (4%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 786 (93%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 13 (2%), and restitution for 22 (3%). ## Counts by Fiscal Year Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 336 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 508 people. The yearly count was highest in 2020, at 136, and lowest in 2025, at 49\. The yearly median prison term ranged from 24 months in 2023 to 41.5 months in 2016. The table lists each year. The records cannot show what led to these changes. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 69 | 41.5 months | 93% | | 2017 | 76 | 37 months | 96% | | 2018 | 93 | 36.5 months | 97% | | 2019 | 98 | 35 months | 95% | | 2020 | 136 | 28 months | 99% | | 2021 | 87 | 31 months | 99% | | 2022 | 88 | 30 months | 98% | | 2023 | 74 | 24 months | 100% | | 2024 | 74 | 30 months | 96% | | 2025 | 49 | 36.5 months | 90% | ## Prior Records and Limits of the Data In this group, 24% were in the highest criminal history category, and 9% were in the lowest. Court-martial records do not have a criminal history field. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are missing. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (844). 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 California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-california/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-northern-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-northern-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-northern-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-northern-district-of-california/) (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.