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# Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Virginia, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-western-district-of-virginia/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:13:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:13:22.000Z
- Description: 272 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the Western District of Virginia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 38.5 months (3.2 years), lower than the 42 months for firearms in all 94 federal districts together and lower than the 60 months for all offenses in this distr
- 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 Virginia, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-virginia/) › Firearms: Western District of Virginia

**In brief:** 272 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in the Western District of Virginia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The median prison term was 38.5 months (3.2 years), lower than the 42 months for firearms in all 94 federal districts together and lower than the 60 months for all offenses in this district. Only 41% of sentences were within the guideline range.

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 272 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/).

## Firearms Sentences Less Often Within the Range

110 of 270 firearms sentences (41%) were within the guideline range. 60 (22%) were below it at the government's request, and 78 (29%) were below it without that request. 22 (8%) were above it.

Across all districts, 52% of firearms sentences were within the range. In this district, 40% of sentences for all offenses were within it.

## Prison Terms

244 of the 272 people (90%) received a prison term, and 18 (7%) received probation only. A quarter of those sent to prison received 66 months or more, and a quarter received 18 months or less.

In all districts, 94% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. The Commission reports the sentences imposed, not the time served.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 27               | 58.5 months   | 100%           |
| 2017        | 27               | 52 months     | 100%           |
| 2018        | 13               | 39 months     | 100%           |
| 2019        | 23               | 37 months     | 96%            |
| 2020        | 35               | 30 months     | 97%            |
| 2021        | 26               | 36 months     | 100%           |
| 2022        | 19               | 37 months     | 100%           |
| 2023        | 27               | 50 months     | 89%            |
| 2024        | 46               | 31 months     | 96%            |
| 2025        | 29               | 34 months     | 93%            |

## Few Trials

263 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 9 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 37 months, and after a trial it was 48 months. The trial figure rests on 9 people.

89% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 11% were straight pleas. Only people who were convicted and sentenced appear in the data.

## Mandatory Minimums and Criminal History

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 33 of the 272 people (12%). 25% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 16% were in the highest, category VI.

## Guidelines Used and Share of the Caseload

Firearms cases were 11% of the 2,529 people sentenced in the district. The primary guideline was §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition) for 247 people. §2K1.3 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials) applied to 3.

## Supervision, Fines, and Yearly Detail

240 people (88%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 100 (37%), and restitution for 19 (7%).

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 90 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 182\. Yearly medians in the table range from 30 months in fiscal year 2020 to 58.5 months in fiscal year 2016\. The records do not say why they differ.

The data also omits the type of firearm and the facts of each case.

The largest yearly count is 46 people in fiscal year 2024, with a median of 31 months. The smallest is 13 people in fiscal year 2018, with a median of 39 months. Guilty plea rates in the table range from 89% in fiscal year 2023 to 100% in several years. Because each year covers only 13 to 46 people, a single year cannot show a direction. The records cannot show whether any difference between years comes from the cases, from charging choices, or from chance.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Virginia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Virginia West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Firearms" (272). 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 Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-virginia/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-western-district-of-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-western-district-of-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-western-district-of-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Tax Offense Sentences in the Western District of Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-tax-sentences-western-district-of-virginia/) (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.