Felons can’t have guns in their possession. This is a commonly stated fact; however, many people don’t realize the scope of what this means. The United States Sentencing Commission puts out statistics about some of the more common points of the matter.
One interesting point is that the Middle District of Florida is one of the top five districts for felons in possession of a firearm. Throughout the nation as a whole, the vast majority, 98.2%, were males. Just over half of them, 51.2%, were Black. Whites accounted for 27%, and Hispanics comprised 18.8% of offenders.
Of people convicted of firearm possession by a felon, the majority, 95.6%, are imprisoned. The average sentence length was 75 months with around 25% of them having an average sentence of up to 24 months. Fewer than 25% of them had an average sentence of at least 96 months.
Typically, people who are sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) will serve longer sentences. The average sentence for individuals sentenced without the ACCA as a factor had a 46-month sentence. Those who did have the ACCA as a factor were sentenced to 180 months.
These statistics paint an important picture about why people who are facing this charge need to have a personalized defense strategy. This should take the facts of the matter into account, including things like whether you actually had a gun or only ammunition. Other factors can also have a big part in what you use as your strategy, so be sure to discuss anything related to the case with your attorney.