Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025
In the Northern District of Texas, 2,395 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 16% of the district's 14,591 sentenced people. The median prison term was 48 months (4 years), compared with 42 months for firearms offenses in all 94 federal districts togethe
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016– › Firearms: Northern District of Texas
In brief: In the Northern District of Texas, 2,395 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 16% of the district's 14,591 sentenced people. The median prison term was 48 months (4 years), compared with 42 months for firearms offenses in all 94 federal districts together.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 2,395 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.
Most Sentences Were Within the Guideline Range
Of the 2,393 people with range information, 1,762 (74%) were sentenced within the guideline range. That is the range calculated under the federal guidelines. 120 (5%) were below it at the government's request, and 265 (11%) were below it without a government request. 246 (10%) were above it.
Across all 94 districts, 52% of firearms sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 62%. In this district, firearms cases were within the range more often than the national figure for the same offense type.
Prison Terms
2,355 people (98%) received a prison term, and 34 (1%) received probation only. The median was 48 months. A quarter received 72 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less.
The national median for firearms was 42 months, and 94% were sent to prison. The median for all offenses in this district was 60 months. These are the terms imposed, not time served.
Pleas and Trials
2,357 of 2,395 (98%) pleaded guilty, and 38 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 48 months after a guilty plea and 82.5 months after a trial.
The groups are of very different size, and the records do not show why trial sentences were longer. Among the guilty pleas, 65% had a written plea agreement and 35% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Mandatory Minimums Were Uncommon
A mandatory minimum applied to 161 people (7%). The Commission's "Firearms" offense type is mostly one guideline here. 2,319 people had §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition) as the primary guideline.
2 people had §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility), and 1 had §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials).
Criminal History and Supervision
15% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 19% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
2,314 people (97%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 21 (less than 1%), and restitution for 57 (2%).
Yearly Counts
797 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 1,598 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly count ranges from 159 to 333. Yearly medians range from 45.5 months to 56 months.
Fiscal years run from October through September. The table does not explain why counts changed from year to year.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 159 | 51 months | 98% |
| 2017 | 216 | 46 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 208 | 56 months | 98% |
| 2019 | 214 | 51 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 218 | 46 months | 98% |
| 2021 | 288 | 46 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 333 | 45.5 months | 99% |
| 2023 | 316 | 53 months | more than 99% |
| 2024 | 210 | 46 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 233 | 51 months | 98% |
Installations and Limits
Dyess AFB, Goodfellow AFB, and Sheppard AFB are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court, and nothing here links any installation to these cases.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (2,395). 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 Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, 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.