Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025
935 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the Southern District of Iowa in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 22% of the 4,208 people sentenced in the district. 900 (96%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 53 months (4.4 years), compared with 42 months across all 94 federal
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2 › Firearms: Southern District of Iowa
In brief: 935 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the Southern District of Iowa in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 22% of the 4,208 people sentenced in the district. 900 (96%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 53 months (4.4 years), compared with 42 months across all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 935 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.
Prison Terms Were Longer Than the All-District Median
Among the 900 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 53 months. A quarter received 84 months or more, and a quarter received 36 months or less. In all 94 districts, the median for firearms offenses was 42 months, so the Southern District of Iowa's median was higher.
The share sent to prison was 96% here and 94% across all districts. 33 people (4%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
One Guideline Covered Nearly Every Case
923 of the 935 cases used §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition) as the primary guideline. 1 case used §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
This offense type is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's own category. The records here do not separate cases by the kind of firearm or by whether another crime was charged with the firearms count.
Pleas, Trials, and Straight Pleas
901 of the 935 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 34 were convicted after a trial. Of the guilty pleas, 55% had a written plea agreement and 45% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 51 months. After a trial, it was 110 months, based on 33 people sent to prison. These groups are not matched, so the records do not show what caused the difference.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range
440 people (47%) were sentenced within the range. 304 (33%) were below it without a government request, and 144 (15%) were below it at the government's request. 47 (5%) were above the range.
In all 94 districts, 52% of firearms sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 37% were within the range. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 57 of the 935 people (6%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
893 people (96%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 11 people (1%), and restitution for 30 (3%).
On criminal history, 15% were in the lowest category, and 27% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this cannot be compared with military cases.
Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 330 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 605 people. Yearly counts in the table range from 67 to 131 people. The yearly medians range from 47 months in fiscal year 2018 to 63 months in fiscal year 2024.
The medians move up and down rather than in one direction, and the fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 67 | 49.5 months | 94% |
| 2017 | 75 | 55.5 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 97 | 47 months | 98% |
| 2019 | 91 | 48 months | 97% |
| 2020 | 102 | 58.5 months | 95% |
| 2021 | 131 | 51 months | 95% |
| 2022 | 121 | 48 months | 98% |
| 2023 | 100 | 60 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 74 | 63 months | 95% |
| 2025 | 77 | 48 months | 99% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. The records do not describe the facts of any case or the reasons for a sentence.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Iowa (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Iowa South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (935). 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 Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, 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.