Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, FY2016–2025
In the Western District of Missouri, 2,161 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 2,080 (96%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 55 months (4.6 years), higher than the 42 months for all 94 federal districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, FY201 › Firearms: Western District of Missouri
In brief: In the Western District of Missouri, 2,161 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 2,080 (96%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 55 months (4.6 years), higher than the 42 months for all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 2,161 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.
Firearms Cases as a Share of the District
Firearms cases were 29% of the 7,571 people sentenced in this district over the period. The U.S. Sentencing Commission files a case under this type according to its primary guideline. Here, 2,093 people were sentenced under §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition).
§2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials) was used for 6 people, and §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility) for 2.
Prison Terms and Probation
73 people (3%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. For all districts, 94% of the 78,851 people in this offense type were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison, a quarter received 82.5 months or more, and a quarter received 36 months or less. The median for all offenses in this district was 72 months, so firearms terms were shorter than the district's overall median.
Trials Led to Longer Terms
2,103 of 2,161 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 58 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 54 months after a guilty plea and 120 months after a trial, based on 58 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.
The records do not match plea and trial cases by facts or criminal history, so the gap does not show what a trial changes. 58% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 42% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Within the Range More Often Than the District Overall
Of the 2,161 sentences, 55% (1,199) were within the guideline range. 23% (493) were below it without a government request, and 8% (169) were below it at the government's request. 14% (300) were above it.
For all districts, 52% were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 38% were. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 182 of the 2,160 people with that information recorded (8%).
Criminal History and Other Terms
Criminal history was in category I, the lowest, for 9%, and in category VI, the highest, for 33%. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Supervised release was ordered for 2,077 people (96%), with a median term of 36 months. 1 person (less than 1%) received it for life. A fine was ordered for 11 (less than 1%) and restitution for 40 (2%).
Median Terms Across Fiscal Years
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 873 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 1,288. The table lists 46 months for fiscal year 2016 and 60 months for each of fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Yearly counts run from 186 to 248 people. The records cannot show why medians differ between years.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 195 | 46 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 248 | 51 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 212 | 57 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 218 | 55 months | 96% |
| 2020 | 235 | 49 months | 95% |
| 2021 | 228 | 54 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 245 | 57 months | 98% |
| 2023 | 206 | 60 months | 99% |
| 2024 | 186 | 60 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 188 | 60 months | 98% |
Scope of the Records
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. It has no acquittals or dismissals, and its terms are those imposed, not time served.
Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman AFB are in this district. Courts-martial there take place in military courts, so this federal count does not include them.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (2,161). 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 Western District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, 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.