Data Source: Firearms Tracing System
January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024
Contents
- ATF Firearms Trace Data Disclaimer
- Table: Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced in Kentucky in Calendar Year 2024
- Table: Firearm Types with a Kentucky Recovery
- Table: Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a Kentucky Recovery
- Table: Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a Kentucky Recovery
- Table: Top Source States for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
- Table: Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
- Table: Age of Possessors for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
- Table: Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
- Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics
ATF Firearms Trace Data Disclaimer
Firearm traces are designed to assist law enforcement authorities in conducting investigations by tracking the sale and possession of specific firearms. Law enforcement agencies may request firearms traces for any investigative reason, and those reasons are not necessarily reported to the federal government. Not all firearms used in crime are traced and not all firearms traced are used in crime.
Firearms selected for tracing are not chosen for purposes of determining which types, makes or models of firearms are used for illicit purposes. The firearms selected do not constitute a random sample and should not be considered representative of the larger universe of all firearms used by criminals, or any subset of that universe. Firearms are normally traced to the first retail seller, and sources reported for firearms traced do not necessarily represent the sources or methods by which firearms in general are acquired for use in crime.
Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced in Kentucky in Calendar Year 2024
10,523
Firearm Types with a Kentucky Recovery
January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024
| Pistols | 7,253 |
|---|---|
| Rifles | 1,415 |
| Revolvers | 876 |
| Shotguns | 708 |
| Unknown Types | 83 |
| Receivers/Frames | 55 |
| Machinegun Conversion Devices | 50 |
| Derringers | 42 |
| Other* | 41 |
* Other includes Silencers, Machineguns, Combinations, an Any Other Weapon, a Destructive Device, a Flare Gun and a Tear Gas Launcher.
Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a Kentucky Recovery
January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024
| 9mm | 4,300 |
|---|---|
| .22 Cal | 996 |
| .40 Cal | 767 |
| .380 Cal | 699 |
| .45 Cal | 577 |
| 12GA | 506 |
| .38 Cal | 358 |
| 5.56mm | 213 |
| MULTI | 213 |
| .223 Cal | 183 |
| 7.62mm | 183 |
NOTE: There were 1,117 additional traces that were associated with other calibers. There were 411 traces with an unknown caliber.
Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a Kentucky Recovery
January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024
| Dangerous Drugs | 2,574 |
|---|---|
| Firearm Under Investigation | 2,325 |
| Simple Assault | 1,253 |
| Possession of Weapon | 953 |
| Property Crimes | 850 |
| Weapon Offense | 786 |
| Found Firearm | 342 |
| Homicide | 331 |
| Burglary | 324 |
| Robbery | 119 |
NOTE: There were 666 additional traces that were associated with other categories.
Top Source States for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024
| Kentucky | 6,004 |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 400 |
| Ohio | 308 |
| Tennessee | 266 |
| Georgia | 126 |
| Florida | 92 |
| Texas | 82 |
| Alabama | 53 |
| Illinois | 48 |
| North Carolina | 48 |
| Michigan | 47 |
| West Virginia | 44 |
| Missouri | 41 |
| Mississippi | 35 |
| South Carolina | 29 |
NOTE: An additional 34 states and Puerto Rico accounted for 318 other traces. The source state was identified in 7,941 total traces.
Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024
| Under 3 Months | 415 |
|---|---|
| 3 Months to Under 7 Months | 409 |
| 7 Months to Under 1 Year | 434 |
| 1 Year to Under 2 Years | 960 |
| 2 Years to Under 3 Years | 801 |
| 3 Years and Over | 4,717 |
1/1/2024-12/31/2024 Kentucky Average Time-to-Crime: 7.25 Years
1/1/2024-12/31/2024 National Average Time-to-Crime: 7.14 Years
Age of Possessors for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024
| 17 and Under | 422 |
|---|---|
| 18 to 21 | 996 |
| 22 to 24 | 696 |
| 25 to 30 | 1,178 |
| 31 to 40 | 1,851 |
| 41 to 50 | 1,412 |
| Over 50 | 1,533 |
1/1/2024-12/31/2024 Kentucky Average Age of Possessor: 37 Years
1/1/2024-12/31/2024 National Average Age of Possessor: 35 Years
Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024
| Louisville | 2,596 |
|---|---|
| Lexington | 769 |
| Owensboro | 250 |
| Richmond | 237 |
| Covington | 235 |
| Millwood | 229 |
| Bowling Green | 193 |
| Hopkinsville | 188 |
| Elizabethtown | 184 |
| London | 141 |
NOTE: There were 517 additional municipalities that accounted for 5,107 other traces. The recovery city could not be determined for 394 traces.
Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics
Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced
- Includes traces with a recovery state of Kentucky. Traces in which the recovery state was not provided were included when the requesting agency state was equal to Kentucky.
- Includes Firearms Recovered and Traced between 1/1/2024 – 12/31/2024 or, if the recovery date was blank, firearms with trace entry dates between 1/1/2024 – 12/31/2024.
- Duplicate traces, Firearms Not Recovered, Gun Buyback and Firearms Turned In are not included in this figure.
- Data was extracted from the Firearms Tracing System (FTS) on April 21, 2025.
- All traces may not have been submitted or completed at the time of this study.
Firearm Types and Calibers with a Kentucky Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a Kentucky Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
Top Source States for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Traces must identify a purchaser and the state in which the final dealer is located.
Time-to-Crime Rates for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Traces must identify a purchaser.
- Time-to-Crime was calculated for those traces in which the purchase date could be subtracted from the recovery date.
Age of Possessors for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Includes traces that provide a possessor and the possessor’s date of birth.
- Possessor’s age is calculated by subtracting the possessor’s date of birth from the recovery date.
Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a Kentucky Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Includes traces with a recovery city or, if the recovery city was not provided, traces requested by agencies with jurisdiction only within that city.
