Michael N. Bowling, Ronald J Frandsen

January 29, 2010    NCJ 229420

Federal firearms laws regulate the importation, manufacture, shipment, transfer, receipt, possession, and use of firearms. The Gun Control Act, the Arms Export Control Act, and the National Firearms Act establish the framework for federal regulation. The vast majority of defendants in Federal firearms cases are charged pursuant to the Gun Control Act, especially the subsection that makes it unlawful for a prohibited person to ship, transport, possess, or receive a firearm. Most defendants plead guilty and receive a sentence of imprisonment. Key statistics are compared for fiscal years 2008, 2007 and 2006. Statistics reported include prosecution outcomes, types of sentences, and mean sentences pursuant to each of the three firearm control acts. Judicial district data is provided for the statutory subsection that is most often the basis for a firearm charge.

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