Data Source: Firearms Tracing System
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
Contents
- ATF Firearms Trace Data Disclaimer
- Table: Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced in West Virginia in Calendar Year 2023
- Table: Firearm Types with a West Virginia Recovery
- Table: Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a West Virginia Recovery
- Table: Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a West Virginia Recovery
- Table: Top 15 Source States for Firearms with a West Virginia Recovery
- Table: Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms with a West Virginia Recovery
- Table: Age of Possessors for Firearms with a West Virginia Recovery
- Table: Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a West Virginia 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 West Virginia in Calendar Year 2023
Firearm Types with a West Virginia Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| Pistols | 1,226 |
|---|---|
| Rifles | 381 |
| Revolvers | 217 |
| Shotguns | 189 |
| Machineguns | 57 |
| Receivers/Frames | 18 |
| Derringers | 16 |
| Machinegun Conversion Devices | 12 |
| Other* | 14 |
* Other includes Unknown Types, Combinations and a Silencer.
Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a West Virginia Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| 9mm | 696 |
|---|---|
| .22 Cal | 300 |
| .380 Cal | 136 |
| 12GA | 123 |
| .45 Cal | 112 |
| .40 Cal | 103 |
| .38 Cal | 79 |
| 5.56mm | 46 |
| 7.62mm | 39 |
| .25 Cal | 35 |
| .357 Cal | 35 |
| .223 Cal | 33 |
| 20GA | 33 |
NOTE: There were 212 additional traces that were associated with other calibers. There were 148 traces with an unknown caliber.
Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a West Virginia Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| Firearm Under Investigation | 656 |
|---|---|
| Possession of Weapon | 473 |
| Dangerous Drugs | 455 |
| Found Firearm | 134 |
| Weapon Offense | 66 |
| Property Crimes | 61 |
| Family Offense | 53 |
| Homicide | 40 |
| Aggravated Assault | 30 |
| Firing Weapon | 21 |
| Homicide - Attempted | 18 |
NOTE: There were 123 additional traces that were associated with other categories.
Top 15 Source States for Firearms with a West Virginia Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| West Virginia | 1,171 |
|---|---|
| Ohio | 111 |
| Virginia | 64 |
| Kentucky | 56 |
| Pennsylvania | 51 |
| Georgia | 20 |
| Maryland | 20 |
| North Carolina | 18 |
| Florida | 17 |
| Tennessee | 11 |
| Michigan | 10 |
| Texas | 10 |
| Alabama | 9 |
| Indiana | 9 |
| Louisiana | 7 |
| South Carolina | 7 |
NOTE: An additional 19 states accounted for 49 other traces. The source state was identified in 1,640 total traces.
Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms with a West Virginia Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| Under 3 Months | 99 |
|---|---|
| 3 Months to Under 7 Months | 82 |
| 7 Months to Under 1 Year | 102 |
| 1 Year to Under 2 Years | 178 |
| 2 Years to Under 3 Years | 186 |
| 3 Years and Over | 990 |
1/1/2023-12/31/2023 West Virginia Average Time-to-Crime: 9.11 Years
1/1/2023-12/31/2023 National Average Time-to-Crime: 6.76 Years
Age of Possessors for Firearms with a West Virginia Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| 17 and Under | 17 |
|---|---|
| 18 to 21 | 82 |
| 22 to 24 | 131 |
| 25 to 30 | 208 |
| 31 to 40 | 445 |
| 41 to 50 | 376 |
| Over 50 | 289 |
1/1/2023-12/31/2023 West Virginia Average Age of Possessor: 39 Years
1/1/2023-12/31/2023 National Average Age of Possessor: 35 Years
Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a West Virginia Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| Charleston | 332 |
|---|---|
| Huntington | 274 |
| Beckley | 118 |
| Clarksburg | 78 |
| Parkersburg | 78 |
| Morgantown | 68 |
| Martinsburg | 65 |
| Saint Albans | 58 |
| Nitro | 54 |
| South Charleston | 43 |
NOTE: There were 169 additional municipalities that accounted for 781 other traces. The recovery city could not be determined for 181 traces.
Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics
Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced
- Includes traces with a recovery state of West Virginia. Traces in which the recovery state was not provided were included when the requesting agency state was equal to West Virginia.
- Includes Firearms Recovered and Traced between 1/1/2023 – 12/31/2023 or, if the recovery date was blank, firearms with trace entry dates between 1/1/2023 – 12/31/2023.
- 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 10, 2024.
- All traces may not have been submitted or completed at the time of this study.
Firearm Types and Calibers with a West Virginia Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a West Virginia Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
Top Source States for Firearms with a West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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.
