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

45,618

 

Firearm Types with a Texas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Pistols 36,045
Rifles 4,127
Revolvers 2,881
Shotguns 1,990
Machineguns 219
Derringers 144
Receivers/Frames 139
Other* 73

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

 

Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces ​with a Texas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
9mm 21,189
.40 Cal 5,321
.380 Cal 3,289
.45 Cal 2,935
.22 Cal 2,747
12GA 1,552
.38 Cal 1,398
5.56mm 1,166
7.62mm 908
MULTI 697

NOTE: There were 3,878 additional traces that were associated with other calibers.​ There were 538 traces with an unknown caliber.

 

Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a Texas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Weapon Offense 8,889
Firearm Under Investigation 8,855
Possession of Weapon 7,326
Found Firearm 4,000
Dangerous Drugs 3,100
Aggravated Assault 2,465
Carrying Concealed Weapon 1,357
Carrying Prohibited Weapon 1,276
Health - Safety 1,091
Homicide 1,071

NOTE: There were 6,188 additional traces that were associated with other categories.

 

Top 15 Source States for Firearms with a Texas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Texas 33,736
Louisiana 1,084
Oklahoma 439
Mississippi 386
Florida 298
Arkansas 291
Georgia 266
New Mexico 222
California 182
Arizona 169
Tennessee 164
Alabama 153
Colorado 149
Missouri 149
Indiana 110

NOTE: An additional 35 states, Guam and Puerto Rico accounted for 1,483 other traces. The source state was identified in 39,281 total traces.

 

Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms​ with a Texas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Under 3 Months 5,343
3 Months to Under 7 Months 4,220
7 Months to Under 1 Year 4,253
1 Year to Under 2 Years 5,855
2 Years to Under 3 Years 2,907
3 Years and Over 16,180

1/1/2021-12/31/2021 Texas Average Time-to-Crime: 5.16 Years

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

 

Age of Possessors for Firearms with a Texas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
17 and Under 1,139
18 to 21 4,229
22 to 24 3,551
25 to 30 5,766
31 to 40 6,344
41 to 50 3,261
Over 50 2,226

1/1/2021-12/31/2021 Texas 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 a Texas Recovery

January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Houston 11,600
Dallas 5,604
San Antonio 4,245
Arlington 1,137
Irving 826
Lubbock 775
Corpus Christi 768
Fort Worth 720
Mesquite 714
Austin 665

NOTE: There were 719 additional municipalities that accounted for 18,479 other traces. The recovery city could not be determined for 85 traces.

 

Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics

Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced

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

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

Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a Texas Recovery

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

Top Source States for Firearms with a Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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