Firearms Offenses (Felon in Possession) Sentence Calculator

Starting level and typical ranges

These ranges use the starting level alone, before any of the facts listed below, for someone with no criminal record unless the column says otherwise. Most real cases add levels.

Starting point	Level	Trial	Guilty plea	Plea + zero-point	Category IV, plea
Which of these fits best: A person banned from having guns had an ordinary gun or ammunition, and has no earlier felony conviction for a violent crime or drug trafficking of the kind described in the next options	14	15–21 months	10–16 months	n/a	21–27 months
Which of these fits best: One earlier felony conviction for a violent crime or drug trafficking, with an ordinary gun or ammunition	20	33–41 months	24–30 months	n/a	37–46 months
Which of these fits best: Two or more earlier felony convictions for violent crimes or drug trafficking, with an ordinary gun or ammunition	24	51–63 months	37–46 months	n/a	57–71 months
Which of these fits best: Two or more such earlier felony convictions, and the offense involved a high-capacity semiautomatic or a National Firearms Act weapon	26	63–78 months	46–57 months	n/a	70–87 months
Which of these fits best: One such earlier felony conviction, and the offense involved a high-capacity semiautomatic or a National Firearms Act weapon	22	41–51 months	30–37 months	n/a	46–57 months
Which of these fits best: No such earlier conviction, but the offense involved a high-capacity semiautomatic or a National Firearms Act weapon, and the person was banned from having guns or was supplying them	20	33–41 months	24–30 months	n/a	37–46 months
Which of these fits best: A National Firearms Act weapon, and none of the options above fits	18	27–33 months	18–24 months	n/a	30–37 months
Which of these fits best: Supplied or tried to supply an ordinary gun or ammunition to others, with no earlier violent or drug felony conviction of the kind described above	14	15–21 months	10–16 months	n/a	21–27 months
Which of these fits best: Another firearms offense that fits none of the other options, including the last one below	12	10–16 months	6–12 months	n/a	15–21 months
Which of these fits best: Convicted only of a minor regulatory gun offense	6	0–6 months	0–6 months	n/a	2–8 months

The 2-level zero-point reduction is generally not available for this kind of offense, because it usually involves violence, a credible threat or a weapon (§4C1.1(a)(3), (a)(7)). A case involving only ammunition, with no firearm, may still qualify.

What changes the sentence

Each of these facts moves the offense level under §2K2.1. Adjustments that apply to every offense, such as role in the offense, obstruction, a guilty plea and criminal history, come after these.

Fact	Effect	Rule
Number of firearms: more than 3 firearms, rising in steps	+2 to +10	§2K2.1(b)(1)
Were all the guns and ammunition kept only for lawful hunting, target shooting or collecting: Yes, only for lawful sporting purposes or collection, and the person did not fire or use them unlawfully	at most level 6	§2K2.1(b)(2)
Was any gun stolen, or missing a readable serial number: A gun was stolen	+2	§2K2.1(b)(4)
Was any gun stolen, or missing a readable serial number: A serial number was altered or removed so it cannot be read with the naked eye	+4	§2K2.1(b)(4)
Was any gun stolen, or missing a readable serial number: A gun never had a serial number, and the person knew it or deliberately avoided knowing	+4	§2K2.1(b)(4)
Were machinegun conversion devices involved: The person possessed 4 to 29 of them, or transferred or sold any of them to someone else, or tried or conspired to	+2	§2K2.1(b)(5)
Were machinegun conversion devices involved: The person possessed 30 or more of them	+4	§2K2.1(b)(5)
Did the offense involve a destructive device, such as a bomb, grenade, rocket or missile: Yes, a destructive device other than a rocket or missile	+2, at most level 29	§2K2.1(b)(3)
Did the offense involve a destructive device, such as a bomb, grenade, rocket or missile: Yes, a portable rocket, a missile, or a launcher for one	+15	§2K2.1(b)(3)
Convicted under 18 U.S.C. §933(a)(2) or (a)(3)	+2	§2K2.1(b)(6)
Moved, sold, gave away, or bought or received a gun or any ammunition to pass on, knowing or having reason to believe it would reach a banned person or someone who meant to use or dispose of it unlawfully	+2	§2K2.1(b)(6)
Did the same with two or more guns, knowing or having reason to believe they would reach someone with a prior conviction for a violent crime, drug trafficking or misdemeanor domestic violence, someone serving a criminal sentence, or someone who meant to use or dispose of them unlawfully	+5	§2K2.1(b)(6)
Used or possessed in connection with another felony, or had or passed on with knowledge, intent or reason to believe it would be	+4, at least level 18	§2K2.1(b)(7)
Possessed while leaving or trying to leave the United States, or had or passed on with knowledge, intent or reason to believe it would be taken out of the country	+4, at least level 18	§2K2.1(b)(7)
Committed as part of a group of five or more people that the person knew, or deliberately avoided knowing, had crime as one of its main purposes	+2	§2K2.1(b)(9)
Low-record person who was pressured or unusually vulnerable	−2	§2K2.1(b)(10)

Important details

A person convicted of illegal gun possession under 18 U.S.C. §922(g) who has three earlier convictions for a violent felony or serious drug offense faces a 15-year mandatory minimum under the Armed Career Criminal Act (18 U.S.C. §924(e)) and the armed career criminal guideline (§4B1.4). The calculator does not apply mandatory minimums like these. When one is higher than the range shown, the statute controls, unless the government files a motion for substantial assistance (18 U.S.C. §3553(e)).
The offense level reached after subsections (b)(1) through (b)(5) (number of guns, sporting use, destructive device, stolen gun or serial number, and conversion devices) may not exceed level 29, except if the rocket or missile increase in subsection (b)(3)(A) applies (§2K2.1(b)).
If the person used or possessed a gun or ammunition named in the count of conviction in connection with committing or attempting another crime (other than a gun or explosives possession or trafficking offense), or possessed or transferred it knowing or intending it would be so used, the attempt guideline (§2X1.1) is applied to that other crime instead when it gives a higher level (§2K2.1(c)(1)(A)). In those same situations, if someone died, the most similar homicide guideline applies when it is higher (§2K2.1(c)(1)(B)).
A high-capacity semiautomatic means the gun had a magazine that could hold more than 15 rounds attached or close by at the time. A gun with an attached tube magazine that works only with .22 caliber rimfire ammunition does not count (§2K2.1, note 2).
Earlier convictions that raise the starting level also count in the criminal record section.
If a recordkeeping offense (by a dealer or a buyer) was an effort to hide a real gun offense, the level rises to the level for that gun offense (§2K2.1(b)(8)).
For the level 12 starting point, in an unusual case where no gun law was being dodged and there was no other unlawful purpose, a court may lower the starting level to no less than 6 (§2K2.1, note 4).
Calculator limits: §2K2.1(b)(8): a recordkeeping offense that hid a substantive gun offense is raised to that offense's level. The calculator cannot compute this; choose the starting point that matches the hidden offense.

Frequently asked questions

What is the base offense level for firearms offenses (felon in possession)?

The guideline for firearms offenses (felon in possession) is §2K2.1 of the federal Sentencing Guidelines. Before any adjustments, its starting level depends on the facts: from level 6 to level 26. The table on this page lists each starting point.

What is the guideline range for firearms offenses (felon in possession) with no criminal history points and a guilty plea?

Using the first starting point in the table on this page (level 14) alone, a person with no criminal history points who pleads guilty scores 10–16 months (10 months to 1 year, 4 months). Under the Armed Career Criminal Act, a person with three earlier violent felony or serious drug convictions faces a 15-year mandatory minimum. The facts listed under “What changes the sentence” can add levels, and the judge can sentence outside the range, but not below a mandatory minimum that applies.

Is probation possible for firearms offenses (felon in possession)?

Only in part. At the first starting point in the table with a guilty plea the range is in Zone C: at least half of the minimum must be served in prison, and the rest can be home detention or community confinement.

Is the calculator accurate for firearms offenses (felon in possession)?

It follows §2K2.1 of the Guidelines Manual effective November 1, 2025. It passed 8 review rounds, each comparing every number, rule and label with the manual text, and its last round found nothing to correct. Those reviews were done with AI tools, not by lawyers, and it has not yet been reviewed by an attorney, so mistakes are possible. The guidelines are advisory, and a lawyer who knows the case can tell you what actually applies.