Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025
793 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the Northern District of Georgia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 724 (91%) received a prison term, with a median of 48 months, compared with 42 months for this offense type across all 94 districts. 725 had §2K2.1 as the primary guideline.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY201 › Firearms: Northern District of Georgia
In brief: 793 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the Northern District of Georgia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 724 (91%) received a prison term, with a median of 48 months, compared with 42 months for this offense type across all 94 districts. 725 had §2K2.1 as the primary guideline.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 793 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.
One Guideline Covers Nearly All Cases
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Firearms" offense type had 725 people with §2K2.1 as the primary guideline, Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition. 1 person each had §2K1.5, Possessing Dangerous Weapons or Materials While Boarding or Aboard an Aircraft, and §2K1.1, Failure to Report Theft of Explosive Materials.
Firearms cases were 15% of the 5,362 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 277 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 516 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
Prison Terms
724 of the 793 people (91%) received a prison term, and 44 (6%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Across all districts, 94% were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 48 months (4 years). A quarter received 84 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. The all-district median was 42 months, and the median for all offenses in this district was 41 months. The median for firearms cases here was higher than both.
A Spread of Positions Against the Guideline Range
791 people had a guideline range recorded. 35% (274) were sentenced within the range. 31% (244) were below it at the government's request, and 29% (228) were below it without a government request. 6% (45) were above it.
Across all districts, 52% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. The share within the range was lower in this district.
Mandatory Minimums, Pleas, and Trials
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 108 of the 790 people with that information recorded (14%).
771 of the 793 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 22 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 48 months after a guilty plea and 135 months after a trial, based on 22 people. These are different groups of cases, and the figures do not show what trial itself changed.
Among the guilty pleas, 87% had a written plea agreement and 13% were straight pleas.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
713 people (90%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 18 people (2%), and restitution for 44 (6%).
Criminal History
28% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 22% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so the military side has no matching measure.
Yearly Counts and Medians
The count of people sentenced was 108 in fiscal year 2022, the highest year, and 64 in fiscal year 2024, the lowest. The median prison term was 60 months in fiscal year 2018 and 41.5 months in fiscal year 2025. Guilty pleas ranged from 92% to 100%.
The yearly medians differ, but the records do not show why.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 71 | 46 months | 92% |
| 2017 | 68 | 47 months | 97% |
| 2018 | 66 | 60 months | 95% |
| 2019 | 72 | 54.5 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 80 | 57 months | 96% |
| 2021 | 67 | 46.5 months | 99% |
| 2022 | 108 | 52 months | 97% |
| 2023 | 99 | 44 months | 99% |
| 2024 | 64 | 50 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 98 | 41.5 months | 97% |
What the Records Cannot Show
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
The sheet does not break out which firearms charges carried a mandatory minimum, or the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Georgia North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (793). 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 Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, 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.