Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) released today calendar year 2014 firearms trace data for all individual states and territories.  Trace information provides investigative leads to law enforcement.   Trace information can link a suspect to a firearm in a criminal investigation, identify potential firearms traffickers, and detect in-state, interstate and international firearm trafficking patterns, including the sources and types of crime guns.

ATF’s Violent Crime Analysis Branch produces this annual report using trace information compiled at ATF’s National Tracing Center (NTC), the nation’s only crime gun tracing facility. The NTC provides critical information that assists domestic and international law enforcement agencies to solve firearms crimes, detect firearms trafficking patterns, and identify trends with respect to intrastate, interstate and international movement of crime guns.

In 2014, more than 246,000 firearms were recovered and traced in the United States. The majority of the traces involved .22 caliber and 9 mm firearms.  The top three types of firearms traced last year were pistols (approximately 131,500 traces), revolvers (approximately 44,000 traces) and rifles (approximately 38,800 traces). Nationally, the average time from when the firearm was purchased to when the firearm was recovered was about 10.88 years.

In addition to the number of recovered and traced crime guns per state, the report also includes recovery location information and the criminal offense associated with the crime gun.

To access the complete 2014 firearms trace report, visit https://www.atf.gov/about/firearms-trace-data-2014.

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