Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
In the Northern District of Illinois, 1,180 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of them, 1,129 (96%) received a prison term, with a median of 46 months (3.8 years). The median across all 94 districts was 42 months. Firearms cases were 19% of the district's 6,211
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY20 › Firearms: Northern District of Illinois
In brief: In the Northern District of Illinois, 1,180 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of them, 1,129 (96%) received a prison term, with a median of 46 months (3.8 years). The median across all 94 districts was 42 months. Firearms cases were 19% of the district's 6,211 people sentenced.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,180 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.
The Median Prison Term for Firearms Offenses
Among the people sent to prison, the median term was 46 months (3.8 years). A quarter received 70 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less. One person received a life sentence.
The all-district median for firearms offenses was 42 months, which is lower than the district's figure. For all offenses in the Northern District of Illinois, the median was also 42 months.
Probation only was given to 39 people (3%).
Within the Guideline Range More Often Than Most Cases Here
The sentence was within the guideline range for 506 people (43%). That is more often than the 29% for all offenses in this district. It is less often than the 52% for firearms cases in all districts.
Sentences below the range without a request from the government were 530 (45%), and those at the government's request were 83 (7%). Above the range were 61 (5%).
Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
Of the 1,180 people, 1,133 (96%) pleaded guilty, and 47 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 97% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 93%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 46 months. After a trial it was 84 months, based on 46 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 48 of the 1,180 people (4%). Among the guilty pleas, 96% had a written plea agreement.
Criminal History
Criminal history is distinctive for this offense type. Only 13% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 19% were in the highest (Category VI).
Supervised release was ordered after prison for 1,114 people (94%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 24 (2%), and restitution for 31 (3%).
Guidelines Used
"Firearms" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. The most common primary guideline was §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition), used for 1,161 people.
Next was §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility), used for 10. Smaller groups were sentenced under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), for 2, and §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials), for 1.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 348 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 832 people. The count was 44 in fiscal year 2016 and 186 in fiscal year 2021.
The yearly median ranged from 39 months in fiscal year 2019 to 71 months in fiscal year 2017. The records do not show why the counts and medians changed. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 44 | 60 months | 91% |
| 2017 | 69 | 71 months | 93% |
| 2018 | 113 | 57 months | 96% |
| 2019 | 122 | 39 months | 96% |
| 2020 | 117 | 45 months | 97% |
| 2021 | 186 | 40 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 179 | 43 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 148 | 46 months | 98% |
| 2024 | 74 | 54 months | 92% |
| 2025 | 128 | 50 months | 98% |
Great Lakes and the Limits of the Data
Great Lakes, Illinois, is a military installation in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
Acquittals and dismissals are not in the Commission's data, and the terms shown are those imposed, not time served. The data does not show the type of firearm or the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (1,180). 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 Illinois, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, 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.