Weapons Convictions for March 2025
The latest available data from the Justice Department show that during March 2025 the government reported 927 new weapons convictions. According to the case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), this number is up 23.4 percent over the previous month.
The comparisons of the number of defendants convicted for weapons-related offenses are based on case-by-case information obtained by TRAC under the Freedom of Information Act from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (see Table 1).
When monthly 2025 convictions of this type are compared with those of the same period in the previous year, the number of convictions was down (-3%). Convictions over the past year are still much lower than they were five years ago. Overall, the data show that convictions of this type are down 11.1 percent from levels reported in 2020.
Figure 1. Monthly Trends in Weapons Convictions
The decrease from the levels five years ago in weapons convictions for these matters is shown more clearly in Figure 1. The vertical bars in Figure 1 represent the number of weapons convictions of this type recorded on a month-to-month basis. Where a prosecution was initially filed in U.S. Magistrate Court and then transferred to the U.S. District Court, the magistrate filing date was used since this provides an earlier indicator of actual trends. The superimposed line on the bars plots the six-month moving average so that natural fluctuations are smoothed out. The one and five-year rates of change in Table 1 and in the sections that follow are all based upon this six-month moving average. To view trends year-by-year rather than month-by-month, see TRAC's annual report series for a broader picture.
Within the broad category of weapons, cases were classified by prosecutors into more specific types.
Case types within weapons are
Armed Career Criminal Act
Firearms/Triggerlock
Other Operation Triggerlock Prosecutions
The largest number of convictions of these matters in March 2025 was for "Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major", accounting for 100 percent of convictions. See Figure 2.
The lead investigative agency for weapons convictions in March 2025 was ATF accounting for 60 percent of convictions. Other agencies with substantial numbers of weapons convictions were: FBI (15% ), Local (9%), DHS (6%), DEA (3%). See Figure 3.
Weapons Convictions in U.S. Magistrate Courts
Top Ranked Lead Charges
In March 2025, no defendants in weapons cases for these matters were convicted in U.S. Magistrate Courts. These courts handle less serious misdemeanor cases, including what are called "petty offenses." In addition, complaints are sometimes filed in the magistrate courts before an indictment or information is entered. In these cases, the matter starts in the magistrate courts and later moves to the district court where subsequent proceedings take place.
Weapons Convictions in U.S. District Courts
In March 2025, 926 defendants in new cases for these matters were charged in the U.S. District Courts. In addition during March there were an additional 0 defendants whose cases moved from the magistrate courts to the U.S. district courts after an indictment or information was filed. The sections which follow cover both sets of cases and therefore cover all matters filed in district court during March.
Top Ranked Lead Charges
Table 2 shows the top lead charges recorded in the convictions of weapons matters filed in U.S. District Court during March 2025.
Lead Charge Count Rank 1yr ago 5yrs ago 18 USC 922 - Firearms; Unlawful acts 748 1 1 1 More 21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A 33 3 2 5 More 18 USC 924 - Firearms; Penalties 15 4 5 3 More 26 USC 5861 - Tax on Making Firearms - Prohibited acts 14 5 6 8 More 18 USC 554 - Smuggling goods from the United States 13 6 8 6 More 18 USC 1951 - Hobbs Act 12 7 4 2 More 21 USC 846 - Attempt and conspiracy 10 8 9 7 More 18 USC 2119 - Carjacking 7 9 10 9 More 18 USC 371 - Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud US 3 10 7 10 More 18 USC 844 - Explosives - Importation and storage of explosives 3 10 21 14 More 18 USC 1111 - Murder 3 10 - - More Table 2. Top Charges for Convictions
"Firearms; Unlawful acts" (Title 18 U.S.C Section 922) was the most frequent recorded lead charge. "Firearms; Unlawful acts" (Title 18 U.S.C Section 922) was ranked 1 a year ago, while it was ranked 1 five years ago.
Ranked 2nd in frequency was the lead charge "Other US Code Section" under Title U.S.C Section. "Other US Code Section" under Title U.S.C Section was ranked 3 a year ago, while it was ranked 4 five years ago.
Ranked 3rd was "Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A" under Title 21 U.S.C Section 841. "Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A" under Title 21 U.S.C Section 841 was ranked 2 a year ago, while it was ranked 5 five years ago.
Among these top ten lead charges, the one showing the greatest increase in convictions — up 350 percent — compared to one year ago was Title 18 U.S.C Section 844 that involves " Explosives - Importation and storage of explosives ". This was the same statute that had the largest increase — 80 % — when compared with five years ago.
Again among the top ten lead charges, the one showing the sharpest decline in convictions compared to one year ago — down 60.9 percent — was " Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud US " (Title 18 U.S.C Section 371 ). Compared to five years ago, the most significant decline in convictions — 61.4 percent — was for convictions where the lead charge was " Attempt and conspiracy " (Title 21 U.S.C Section 846 ).
Top Ranked Judicial Districts
In March 2025 the Justice Department's case-by-case records show that the government obtained 331.8 weapons convictions for every ten million people in the United States.
Understandably, there is great variation in the per capita number of weapons convictions in each of the nation's ninety-four federal judicial districts.
The districts registering the largest number of convictions per capita for these matters last month are shown in Table 3. Districts must have at least 5 weapons convictions to receive a ranking.
Judicial District Percapita Count Rank 1yr ago 5yrs ago Montana 3,708 35 1 32 43 More Wyoming 3,698 18 2 68 83 More Mo, E 2,555 62 3 1 1 More Ala, N 1,972 50 4 19 12 More Ala, S 1,519 11 5 45 27 More Vermont 1,483 8 6 84 79 More Okla, W 1,254 23 7 11 50 More W Virg, N 1,037 8 8 74 53 More Tenn, M 1,031 24 9 34 33 More Mo, W 987 27 10 4 5 More Table 3. Top 10 Districts (per ten million people)
The District of Montana — with 3708 convictions as compared with 331.8 convictions per ten million population in the United States — was the most active during March 2025.
The District of Wyoming ranked 2nd.
Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis) is now ranking 3rd. The Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis) was ranked 1 a year ago, while it was ranked 1 for most frequent use five years ago.
Recent entrants to the top 10 list were Western District of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City), now ranked 7th , and Northern District of Alabama (Birmingham) at 4th In the same order, these districts ranked 11th and 19th one year ago and 50th and 12th five years ago.
The federal judicial district which showed the greatest growth in the rate of weapons convictions compared to one year ago — 92.3 percent — was Vermont . Compared to five years ago, the district with the largest growth — 123.1 percent — was Wyoming .
In the last year, the judicial District Court recording the largest drop in the rate of weapons convictions — 40.6 percent — was Western District of Missouri (Kansas City). This was the same district that had the largest increase — 37.7 percent — when compared with five years ago.
Top Ranked District Judges
At any one time, there are about 680 federal District Court judges working in the United States. The judges recorded with the largest number of new weapons crime cases resulting in convictions of this type during March 2025 are shown in Table 4.
Judge Count Rank Watters, Susan Pamela Montana 13 1 More Axon, Annemarie Carney Ala, N 12 2 More Cogburn, Max Oliver, Jr. N Car, W 12 2 More Proctor, R. David Ala, N 10 4 More Limbaugh, Stephen Nathaniel, Jr. Mo, E 10 4 More Kays, David Gregory Mo, W 10 4 More Coogler, L. Scott Ala, N 8 7 More Clark, Stephen Robert, Sr. Mo, E 8 7 More Haikala, Madeline H. Ala, N 7 9 More Dever, James C., III N Car, E 7 9 More Pepper, Pamela Wisc, E 7 9 More Skavdahl, Scott Wesley Wyoming 7 9 More Table 4. Top Ten Judges
A total of 9 out of the "top ten" judges were in districts which were in the top ten with the largest number of weapons convictions per capita, while the remaining 3 judges were from other districts. (Because of ties, there were a total of 12 judges in the "top ten" rankings.)
Judge Susan Pamela Watters in the District of Montana ranked 1st with 13 convicted in weapons convictions.
Judges Annemarie Carney Axon in the Northern District of Alabama (Birmingham) and Max Oliver Cogburn, Jr. in the Western District of North Carolina (Asheville) ranked 2nd with 12 convicted in weapons convictions.
Report Generated: May 14, 2025
