26 U.S.C. 5841, Registration of firearms: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 539 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with 26 U.S.C. 5841 as the most serious charge, 506 (94%) were convicted. 491 (91%) pleaded guilty, 31 (6%) had their cases dismissed, and 17 (3%) went to trial. Among the convicted, 432 (85%) received a prison term on that cha
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In brief: Of 539 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with 26 U.S.C. 5841 as the most serious charge, 506 (94%) were convicted. 491 (91%) pleaded guilty, 31 (6%) had their cases dismissed, and 17 (3%) went to trial. Among the convicted, 432 (85%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 36 months (3 years).
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 539 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The series also draws on the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 659,036 people sentenced 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.
High Conviction Share
Conviction, by plea or at trial, was the result for 506 of the 539 defendants (94%). Guilty pleas made up most of that: 491 (91%).
Dismissals ended 31 cases (6%). A dismissal means the charges were dropped, including on the government's motion, for example after the defendant pleaded guilty in a different case.
Every charge in this group was a felony: 539 (100%).
The Section Heading
Title 26, section 5841 of the U.S. Code is headed "Registration of firearms". This post names the statute only by that heading.
The Federal Judicial Center count includes each defendant whose case ended with this section as the most serious remaining charge. Dismissals and acquittals are counted along with convictions.
Prison Time After Conviction
432 of the 506 convicted (85%) received a prison term on this charge. The rest did not receive a prison term on it.
For terms of 1 month or more, the median was 36 months (3 years). No life terms are listed for this section.
17 Trials
17 defendants went to trial. 2 of those trials ended in an acquittal (12%).
There were 12 jury trials, with 2 acquittals (17%). There were 5 bench trials, decided by a judge, and 0 ended in an acquittal (0 of 5). These trial counts are small, so the percentages can change a great deal with a single case.
Counsel and How Cases Ended
Federal public or community defenders represented 285 defendants (53%). CJA panel attorneys, private lawyers appointed by the court, represented 125 (23%). Private (retained) counsel also represented 125 (23%).
Plea rates were 91% for defenders, 93% for CJA panel attorneys, and 92% for retained counsel. Dismissals were 6%, 6%, and 2%.
Defenders had 8 trials with 1 acquittal (1 of 8). CJA panel attorneys had 2 trials and 0 acquittals (0 of 2). Retained counsel had 7 trials with 1 acquittal (1 of 7).
The groups differ in charges and circumstances, since hired and appointed lawyers serve different defendants. The numbers describe groups of cases, not the quality of lawyers.
| Type of counsel at the end of the case | Defendants | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal public or community defender | 285 | 91% | 6% | 8 | 1 (1 of 8) |
| CJA panel attorney | 125 | 93% | 6% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 125 | 92% | 2% | 7 | 1 (1 of 7) |
Fiscal Year Counts
Between 35 and 68 cases ended in each fiscal year. The fewest were in 2019 and the most were in 2024.
In 2016, all 42 cases ended in a guilty plea (100%). In no year did more than 4 cases go to trial.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 42 | 100% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 53 | 87% | 6% | 4 | 1 (1 of 4) |
| 2018 | 58 | 90% | 7% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| 2019 | 35 | 89% | 9% | 1 | 1 (1 of 1) |
| 2020 | 53 | 89% | 11% | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 44 | 93% | 5% | 1 | 0 (0 of 1) |
| 2022 | 59 | 93% | 7% | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 64 | 89% | 5% | 4 | 0 (0 of 4) |
| 2024 | 68 | 90% | 6% | 3 | 0 (0 of 3) |
| 2025 | 63 | 94% | 3% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
Where the Data Stops
No close court-martial counterpart for this statute appears in the approved crosswalk. The records show outcomes and prison terms, not the facts of any case or the reasons a case ended as it did.
How We Counted
Every federal defendant whose case ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 and whose most serious charge at the end of the case (TTITLE1) was under 26 U.S.C. 5841, any subsection (539), Federal Judicial Center, counted as in the federal courts' Table D-4. Type of counsel is TCOUNSEL; labels from the FJC criminal codebook. Section heading from the U.S. Code as published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel (release point 119-136).
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
Who is in each set of numbers. The federal sentencing numbers come from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced in federal district court. People whose cases were dismissed or who were acquitted are not in them. The military numbers come from court-martial results, which include acquittals. To compare acquittal or dismissal rates, the federal side uses a different source: the Federal Judicial Center's case data, which counts every defendant whose case ended.
How "plea" and "trial" are counted. In the federal sentencing numbers, "trial" means the person was convicted after a trial, including people who pleaded guilty to some counts and went to trial on others. People acquitted at trial are not in these numbers at all (see "Who is in each set of numbers"). In the federal case data, the trial rate counts both convictions and acquittals at trial among all defendants whose cases ended, including dismissed cases. Military numbers count contested cases that reached a verdict. These denominators are not the same, and each post states the one it uses.
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.
Type of counsel describes groups of cases, not lawyers. The Federal Judicial Center records the type of counsel at the end of the case. Defendants who hire a lawyer differ from defendants who receive an appointed lawyer in their charges, criminal history, and circumstances, and some defendants change lawyers during a case. Differences in outcomes by type of counsel therefore cannot be credited to the type of lawyer.
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)
- 26 U.S.C. 5861, Prohibited acts: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 26 U.S.C. 7201, Attempt to evade or defeat tax: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- Appointed vs. Retained Lawyers in Federal Criminal Cases: How Cases Ended, 2016–2025
- Are Courts-Martial More Likely to End in Acquittal Than Federal Trials?
- 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.