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# Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:02:15.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:02:15.000Z
- Description: In the Western District of North Carolina, 69% of the 1,063 people sentenced for firearms offenses from fiscal year 2016 through fiscal year 2025 received a sentence within the guideline range. The median prison term was 46 months, compared with 42 months for firearms offenses in all 94 districts. F
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina,](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-north-carolina/) › Firearms: Western District of North Carolina

**In brief:** In the Western District of North Carolina, 69% of the 1,063 people sentenced for firearms offenses from fiscal year 2016 through fiscal year 2025 received a sentence within the guideline range. The median prison term was 46 months, compared with 42 months for firearms offenses in all 94 districts. Firearms cases were 22% of the district's 4,904 sentenced people.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,063 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## How Often Sentences Matched the Guideline Range

The guideline range is the sentence range calculated under the federal sentencing guidelines. For firearms cases in this district, 736 of 1,063 people (69%) were sentenced within it. For firearms cases in all 94 districts, the rate was 52%.

Another 189 people (18%) were sentenced below the range without a government request, and 86 (8%) were below it at the government's request. A total of 52 (5%) were above the range.

The rate within the range for all offense types in this district was 53%, which is lower than the rate for firearms cases here.

## Prison Terms

Of the 1,063 people, 1,044 (98%) received a prison term. A total of 9 (less than 1%) received probation only, and 1 received a life sentence.

Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 46 months, or 3.8 years. A quarter received 70 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less. The median for all offense types in the district was 57 months, so the firearms median was lower than the district's overall median.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 161 people (15%).

## What the Cases Were Charged Under

The Sentencing Commission puts each case in an offense category based on its primary guideline. Firearms is one of those categories. Here, §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition) was the primary guideline in 964 cases.

Single cases used §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) and §2K1.5 (Possessing Dangerous Weapons or Materials While Boarding or Aboard an Aircraft).

The Commission's category does not show whether a firearm was the only offense. It shows only which guideline controlled the sentence.

## Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements

A total of 1,030 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 33 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 46 months after a guilty plea and 70 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on the 33 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.

Written plea agreements were less common here than in some other categories. Among guilty pleas, 55% had a written plea agreement and 45% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Fiscal Year Medians

The yearly medians ranged from 40.5 months in fiscal year 2016 to 51 months in fiscal year 2019\. The latest year, fiscal year 2025, had a median of 48 months. The district sentenced 393 firearms cases in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 670 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.

The yearly counts were between 85 and 146 people, so each year has a fairly large group. The table lists every year.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 113              | 40.5 months   | 95%            |
| 2017        | 88               | 47 months     | 94%            |
| 2018        | 90               | 41.5 months   | 98%            |
| 2019        | 102              | 51 months     | more than 99%  |
| 2020        | 98               | 50 months     | 99%            |
| 2021        | 128              | 48 months     | 98%            |
| 2022        | 146              | 48 months     | 97%            |
| 2023        | 85               | 46 months     | 96%            |
| 2024        | 101              | 42 months     | 96%            |
| 2025        | 112              | 48 months     | 96%            |

## Supervised Release, Money Penalties, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 1,030 people (97%), and the median term was 36 months. A fine was ordered for 9 people (less than 1%). Restitution was ordered for 39 (4%).

In criminal history, 11% were in the lowest category (category I) and 14% were in the highest (category VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Limits of the Data

The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are the terms 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 Western District of North Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "N Carolina West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (1,063). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Robbery Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.