Firearms Trace Data: Florida - 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 Florida in Calendar Year 2020
  3. Table: Firearm Types with a Florida Recovery
  4. Table: Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a Florida Recovery
  5. Table: Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a Florida Recovery
  6. Table: Top 15 Source States for Firearms with a Florida Recovery
  7. Table: Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms with a Florida Recovery
  8. Table: Age of Possessors for Firearms with a Florida Recovery
  9. Table: Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a Florida 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 Florida in Calendar Year 2020

27,134

 

Firearm Types with a Florida Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
Pistols 20,171
Revolvers 2,770
Rifles 2,638
Shotguns 1,313
Derringers 123
Receivers/Frames 46
Machineguns 30
Silencers 20
Unknown Types 16
Other* 7

* Other includes Any Other Weapons, a Combination, a Destructive Device and a Flare Gun.

 

Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a Florida Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
9mm 10,621
.40 Cal 3,130
.380 Cal 2,729
.22 Cal 2,038
.45 Cal 1,764
.38 Cal 1,394
12GA 1,023
5.56mm 649
7.62mm 571
.357 Cal 541

NOTE: There were 2,467 additional traces that were associated with other calibers. There were 207 traces with an unknown caliber.

 

Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a Florida Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
Firearm Under Investigation 4,807
Possession of Weapon 4,279
Found Firearm 3,479
Aggravated Assault 1,817
Carrying Concealed Weapon 1,688
Dangerous Drugs 1,646
Health - Safety 1,525
Family Offense 1,410
Weapon Offense 1,372
Suicide 857
Homicide 820

NOTE: There were 3,434 additional traces that were associated with other categories.

 

Top 15 Source States for Firearms with a Florida Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
Florida 18,015
Georgia 818
Alabama 432
Texas 292
North Carolina 215
Ohio 196
Virginia 184
Tennessee 176
South Carolina 172
Pennsylvania 147
Louisiana 137
Kentucky 136
Mississippi 129
Indiana 118
California 112

NOTE: An additional 35 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands accounted for 1,251 other traces. The source state was identified in 22,530 total traces.

 

Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms with a Florida Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
Under 3 Months 2,143
3 Months to Under 7 Months 1,801
7 Months to Under 1 Year 1,324
1 Year to Under 2 Years 2,347
2 Years to Under 3 Years 2,195
3 Years and Over 12,508

1/1/2020-12/31/2020 Florida Average Time-to-Crime: 7.03 Years

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

 

Age of Possessors for Firearms with a Florida Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
17 and Under 735
18 to 21 2,282
22 to 24 1,930
25 to 30 3,352
31 to 40 3,424
41 to 50 1,933
Over 50 2,263

1/1/2020-12/31/2020 Florida Average Age of Possessor: 35 Years

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

 

Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a Florida Recovery

January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
Jacksonville 2,989
Orlando 2,451
Tampa 2,117
Miami 1,913
West Palm Beach 1,079
Pensacola 741
Tallahassee 566
Daytona Beach 494
Ocala 446
Fort Myers 443

NOTE: There were 435 additional municipalities that accounted for 13,888 other traces. The recovery city could not be determined for seven traces.

 

Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics

Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced

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

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

Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a Florida 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 Florida 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 Florida 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 Florida 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 Florida 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