Firearms Trace Data: North Carolina - 2021

Data Source: Firearms Tracing System

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021

 

Contents

  1. ATF Firearms Trace Data Disclaimer
  2. Table: Total Number of Firearms Recovered and ​Traced in North Carolina in Calendar Year 2021
  3. Table: Firearm Types with a North Carolina Recovery
  4. Table: Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a North Carolina Recovery
  5. Table: Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a North Carolina Recovery
  6. Table: Top 15 Source States for Firearms​ with a North Carolina Recovery
  7. Table: Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms​ with a North Carolina Recovery
  8. Table: Age of Possessors for Firearms​ with a North Carolina Recovery
  9. Table: Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
  10. 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 North Carolina in Calendar Year 2021

23,104

 

Firearm Types with a North Carolina Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Pistols 16,480
Rifles 2,694
Revolvers 1,980
Shotguns 1,585
Machineguns 148
Derringers 108
Other* 109

* Other includes Unknown Types, Receivers/Frames, Any Other Weapons, Combinations, Destructive Devices and Silencers.

 

Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces ​with a North Carolina Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
9mm 9,554
.40 Cal 2,328
.22 Cal 1,861
.380 Cal 1,623
.45 Cal 1,399
12GA 1,214
.38 Cal 835
5.56mm 634
7.62mm 457
.357 Cal 442

NOTE: There were 2,394 additional traces that were associated with other calibers.​ There were 363 traces with an unknown caliber.

 

Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a North Carolina Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Possession of Weapon 8,107
Firearm Under Investigation 3,481
Found Firearm 2,458
Carrying Concealed Weapon 1,774
Dangerous Drugs 1,423
Family Offense 803
Aggravated Assault 759
Property Crimes 716
Homicide 637
Weapon Offense 589

NOTE: There were 2,357 additional traces that were associated with other categories.

 

Top 15 Source States for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
North Carolina 14,446
South Carolina 1,223
Virginia 703
Georgia 467
Florida 359
Texas 180
Tennessee 155
Ohio 125
West Virginia 118
Alabama 110
Pennsylvania 105
Kentucky 92
California 66
Arizona 65
Illinois 63

NOTE: An additional 35 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico accounted for 726 other traces. The source state was identified in 19,003 total traces.

 

Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms​ with a North Carolina Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Under 3 Months 2,040
3 Months to Under 7 Months 1,960
7 Months to Under 1 Year 2,030
1 Year to Under 2 Years 2,844
2 Years to Under 3 Years 1,440
3 Years and Over 8,209

1/1/2021-12/31/2021 North Carolina Average Time-to-Crime: 6.04 Years

1/1/2021-12/31/2021 National Average Time-to-Crime: 6.24 Years

 

Age of Possessors for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
17 and Under 587
18 to 21 2,416
22 to 24 2,151
25 to 30 3,485
31 to 40 3,448
41 to 50 1,673
Over 50 1,668

1/1/2021-12/31/2021 North Carolina Average Age of Possessor: 33 Years

1/1/2021-12/31/2021 National Average Age of Possessor: 34 Years

 

Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Charlotte 3,837
Greensboro 1,787
Winston-Salem 1,398
Raleigh 1,349
Durham 777
Greenville 678
Wilmington 639
High Point 468
Fayetteville 456
Rocky Mount 446

NOTE: There were 472 additional municipalities that accounted for 11,182 other traces. The recovery city could not be determined for 87 traces.

 

Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics

Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced

  • Includes traces with a recovery state of North Carolina. Traces in which the recovery state was not provided were included when the requesting agency state was equal to North Carolina.​
  • Includes Firearms Recovered and Traced between 1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021 or, if the recovery date was blank, firearms with trace entry dates between 1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021.
  • 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 18, 2022.​
  • All traces may not have been submitted or completed at the time of this study.​

Firearm Types and Calibers with a North Carolina Recovery

  • Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.

Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a North Carolina Recovery

  • Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced. 

Top Source States for Firearms with a North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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.

 

View All 2021 Firearms Trace Data

Last Reviewed September 15, 2022