Firearms Trace Data: District of Columbia - 2020

Data Source: Firearms Tracing System

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020

 

Contents

  1. ATF Firearms Trace Data Disclaimer
  2. Table: Total Number of Firearms Recovered and ​Traced in the District of Columbia in Calendar Year 2020
  3. Table: Firearm Types with a District of Columbia Recovery
  4. Table: Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a District of Columbia Recovery
  5. Table: Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a District of Columbia Recovery
  6. Table: Top 15 Source States for Firearms​ with a District of Columbia Recovery
  7. Table: Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms​ with a District of Columbia Recovery
  8. Table: Age of Possessors for Firearms​ with a District of Columbia Recovery
  9. Table: Recovery City for Firearms with a District of Columbia 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 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 the District of Columbia in Calendar Year 2020

2,239

 

Firearm Types with a District of Columbia Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
Pistols 1,824
Revolvers 156
Rifles 107
Receivers/Frames 52
Shotguns 46
Unknown Types 44
Other* 10

* Other includes Derringers, Any Other Weapons and Machineguns.

 

Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces ​with a District of Columbia Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
9mm 919
.40 Cal 426
.45 Cal 218
.380 Cal 117
.22 Cal 89
.38 Cal 74
.357 Cal 47
5.56mm 30
12GA 29
.32 Cal 26
7.62mm 26

NOTE: There were 105 additional traces that were associated with other calibers.​ There were 133 traces with an unknown caliber.

 

Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a District of Columbia Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
Possession of Weapon 1,336
Firearm Under Investigation 661
Found Firearm 73
Aggravated Assault 51
Homicide 31
Robbery 23
Simple Assault 19
Family Offense 8
Dangerous Drugs 6
Firing Weapon 5
Weapon Offense 5

NOTE: There were 21 additional traces that were associated with other categories.

 

Top 15 Source States for Firearms with a District of Columbia Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
Virginia 667
Maryland 156
Georgia 122
North Carolina 111
South Carolina 90
District of Columbia 58
West Virginia 45
Kentucky 38
Alabama 33
Pennsylvania 33
Texas 31
Florida 26
Tennessee 23
Ohio 17
Delaware 10
Michigan 10

NOTE: An additional 28 states and Puerto Rico accounted for 110 other traces. The source state was identified in 1,580 total traces.

 

Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms​ with a District of Columbia Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
Under 3 Months 109
3 Months to Under 7 Months 108
7 Months to Under 1 Year 98
1 Year to Under 2 Years 197
2 Years to Under 3 Years 163
3 Years and Over 897

1/1/2020-12/31/2020 District of Columbia Average Time-to-Crime: 6.87 Years

1/1/2020-12/31/2020 National Average Time-to-Crime: 7.01 Years

 

Age of Possessors for Firearms with a District of Columbia Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
17 and Under 126
18 to 21 370
22 to 24 217
25 to 30 446
31 to 40 292
41 to 50 95
Over 50 124

1/1/2020-12/31/2020 District of Columbia Average Age of Possessor: 30 Years

1/1/2020-12/31/2020 National Average Age of Possessor: 34 Years

 

Recovery City for Firearms with a District of Columbia Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
Washington, DC 2,239

 

Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics

Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced

  • Includes traces with a recovery state of District of Columbia. Traces in which the recovery state was not provided were included when the requesting agency state was equal to the District of Columbia.​
  • Includes Firearms Recovered and Traced between 1/1/2020 – 12/31/2020 or, if the recovery date was blank, firearms with trace entry dates between 1/1/2020 – 12/31/2020.
  • 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 12, 2021.​
  • All traces may not have been submitted or completed at the time of this study.​

Firearm Types and Calibers with a District of Columbia Recovery

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

Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a District of Columbia Recovery

  • Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced. Beginning in CY 2010, attempted homicide, attempted suicide and negligent vehicular manslaughter are reported in separate categories.

Top Source States for Firearms with a District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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.

Recovery City for Firearms with a District of Columbia 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 2020 Firearms Trace Data

Last Reviewed November 22, 2021