Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025
2,655 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 94% received a prison term, and the median was 37 months (3.1 years). The median was 37 months in every fiscal year from 2020 on in the table.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2 › Firearms: Western District of Texas
In brief: 2,655 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 94% received a prison term, and the median was 37 months (3.1 years). The median was 37 months in every fiscal year from 2020 on in the table.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 2,655 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.
A Steady Median Prison Term of 37 Months
The yearly table shows a median prison term of 37 months in every fiscal year from 2020 through 2025. In fiscal years 2016 through 2019, the medians were 38 months, 30 months, 33 months, and 33 months.
The number sentenced each year ranged from 185 in fiscal year 2016 to 329 in fiscal year 2022. The records show the figures but cannot show what caused any difference between years.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 185 | 38 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 287 | 30 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 288 | 33 months | more than 99% |
| 2019 | 258 | 33 months | more than 99% |
| 2020 | 261 | 37 months | 97% |
| 2021 | 283 | 37 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 329 | 37 months | 98% |
| 2023 | 269 | 37 months | 98% |
| 2024 | 256 | 37 months | more than 99% |
| 2025 | 239 | 37 months | 98% |
Firearms Cases in the District
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type is "Firearms", and its data labels the district "Texas West". The 2,655 people were 3% of the 76,480 people sentenced in the district.
In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 1,018 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 1,637 people were sentenced.
Prison Terms Compared With All Districts
2,501 of the 2,655 people (94%) received a prison term, and 123 (5%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, a quarter received 57 months or more, and a quarter received 21 months or less.
In all 94 districts, 78,851 people were sentenced for firearms offenses. 94% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 42 months. The share sent to prison was the same, and the median was lower in this district.
One Main Guideline
The primary guideline was §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition) for 2,590 people. §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) and §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility) each had 3. §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials) had 2.
Plea Rates and Trial Sentences
2,609 of 2,655 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 46 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 37 months. After a trial it was 51 months, based on 44 people sent to prison.
Among the guilty pleas, 48% had a written plea agreement and 52% were straight pleas with no agreement. In all 94 districts, 97% pleaded guilty.
Position Against the Guideline Range
For 2,653 people with the information, 69% (1,838) were within the guideline range. 10% (256) were below it at the government's request, and 18% (469) were below it without a government request. 3% (90) were above it.
In all 94 districts, 52% were within the range. The rate for every offense type in this district was 77%. A mandatory minimum applied to 89 of the 2,652 people with that information recorded (3%).
Supervised Release and Criminal History
2,478 people (93%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 474 (18%), and restitution for 55 (2%).
23% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 17% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
What Is Not Covered
Only convicted and sentenced people are counted, and prison terms are those imposed rather than time served. Courts-martial for installations in the district are tried in military courts and are not part of these figures.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (2,655). 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 Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Western 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.