Firearms Trace Data: Arkansas - 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 Arkansas in Calendar Year 2021
  3. Table: Firearm Types with an Arkansas Recovery
  4. Table: Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with an Arkansas Recovery
  5. Table: Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces ​with an Arkansas Recovery
  6. Table: Top 15 Source States for Firearms​ with an Arkansas Recovery
  7. Table: Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms​ with an Arkansas Recovery
  8. Table: Age of Possessors for Firearms​ with an Arkansas Recovery
  9. Table: Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with an Arkansas 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 Arkansas in Calendar Year 2021

3,541

 

Firearm Types with an Arkansas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Pistols 2,675
Rifles 409
Revolvers 247
Shotguns 165
Machineguns 18
Derringers 16
Other* 11

* Other includes Receivers/Frames, Silencers, Unknown Types and a Destructive Device.

 

Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces ​with an Arkansas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
9mm 1,472
.40 Cal 411
.22 Cal 323
.380 Cal 260
.45 Cal 230
12GA 124
5.56mm 108
.38 Cal 103
7.62mm 75
MULTI 75

NOTE: There were 333 additional traces that were associated with other calibers.​ There were 27 traces with an unknown caliber.

 

Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with an Arkansas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Possession of Weapon 1,011
Dangerous Drugs 422
Firearm Under Investigation 389
Found Firearm 358
Weapon Offense 289
Aggravated Assault 269
Property Crimes 156
Homicide 112
Family Offense 107
Traffic Offense 59

NOTE: There were 369 additional traces that were associated with other categories.

 

Top 15 Source States for Firearms with an Arkansas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Arkansas 2,358
Texas 150
Tennessee 90
Mississippi 64
Missouri 59
Oklahoma 49
Louisiana 32
Georgia 21
Alabama 20
California 15
Florida 14
Ohio 14
Colorado 11
Illinois 9
Indiana 9
Kentucky 9
Michigan 9

NOTE: An additional 24 states and the District of Columbia accounted for 76 other traces. The source state was identified in 3,009 total traces.

 

Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms​ with an Arkansas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Under 3 Months 384
3 Months to Under 7 Months 288
7 Months to Under 1 Year 366
1 Year to Under 2 Years 436
2 Years to Under 3 Years 234
3 Years and Over 1,204

1/1/2021-12/31/2021 Arkansas Average Time-to-Crime: 5.70 Years

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

 

Age of Possessors for Firearms with an Arkansas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
17 and Under 155
18 to 21 462
22 to 24 320
25 to 30 569
31 to 40 649
41 to 50 299
Over 50 206

1/1/2021-12/31/2021 Arkansas Average Age of Possessor: 32 Years

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

 

Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with an Arkansas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Little Rock 1,088
North Little Rock 413
Jonesboro 361
West Memphis 228
Fayetteville 157
Hot Springs 155
Springdale 141
Texarkana 107
Rogers 95
Conway 84

NOTE: There were 111 additional municipalities that accounted for 712 other traces.

 

Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics

Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced

  • Includes traces with a recovery state of Arkansas. Traces in which the recovery state was not provided were included when the requesting agency state was equal to Arkansas.
  • 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 an Arkansas Recovery

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

Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with an Arkansas Recovery

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

Top Source States for Firearms with an Arkansas 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 an Arkansas 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 an Arkansas 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 an Arkansas 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