Firearm-related crimes have grown increasingly complex over the past decade. As more weapons are recovered across the U.S., understanding how firearms move from legal purchase to criminal use has become a critical focus for law enforcement.
Trace data published by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) provides key insights into national trends—from weapon types and purchaser profiles to trafficking patterns and time-to-crime metrics.
At Suzuki Law Offices, we’ve compiled and highlighted these publicly available findings to better inform the conversation around gun crime in the United States. This breakdown captures both the scope of the issue and the systems used to track it.
A Significant Surge in Firearm Trace Requests
Between 2017 and 2023, firearm trace requests increased by 52%, signaling greater reliance on investigative tools nationwide. During this period, law enforcement agencies submitted a total of 2,959,257 trace requests to the ATF.
Trace volume has grown steadily year over year. In 2017, the total number of trace requests was estimated at approximately 430,000. That number rose to 460,024 in 2021, followed by a significant jump to 622,732 in 2022, representing a 35% increase. The upward trend continued into 2023, with 654,064 trace requests, marking an additional 5% rise over the previous year.
This sustained growth in trace activity reflects not only the increasing number of firearms recovered by law enforcement but also the expanding use of digital tracing technologies such as eTrace across jurisdictions nationwide.
Top 10 States With the Highest Firearm Recoveries in 2023
In 2023, the top ten states by total firearm recoveries were:
- California: 56,382
- Texas: 55,248
- Florida: 37,461
- Georgia: 22,673
- Pennsylvania: 20,543
- North Carolina: 17,027
- Ohio: 15,891
- Virginia: 14,874
- Illinois: 13,170
- Tennessee: 12,975
By contrast, the states with the lowest number of firearm recoveries were Vermont (372) and Wyoming (512), highlighting the geographic disparity in gun trace activity across the U.S. These recovery numbers are influenced by both population size and geographic relevance to trafficking routes.
A Closer Look at Firearm Types
Pistols continue to be the most frequently recovered firearms in crime gun traces. Between 2017 and 2021, they accounted for 68% of all traced crime guns, increasing from 62% in 2017 to 75% in 2021. That dominance remained consistent in 2022 and 2023, with pistols comprising 74.2% of all traced firearms, totaling 769,498 recoveries.
Other firearm types appeared far less frequently. During the same period, rifles made up 10.8% of traces (111,825 recoveries), while revolvers accounted for 7.4% (76,640). Shotguns represented 5.3% (55,070), receiver/frame-only traces were at 0.5% (4,793), and firearms classified as other or unknown comprised 1.8% (18,854).
Within the pistol category, over 60% of the traced models were chambered in 9 mm, amounting to 463,942 firearms. Among rifles, nearly 26% were chambered in .22 caliber, with 28,818 traced in this caliber alone.
The most frequently traced individual model was the Glock 9 mm, which accounted for nearly 12% of all crime guns—119,483 out of 1,036,680 recovered nationwide in 2022–2023.
Top 10 States With the Highest Glock Impact in Firearm Recoveries
Traces of Glock pistols, especially 9 mm models, were most common in:
- Texas: 43,633
- California: 36,552
- Florida: 28,289
- Georgia: 18,725
- Pennsylvania: 16,822
- North Carolina: 12,485
- Ohio: 12,271
- Tennessee: 12,271
- Virginia: 11,126
- Illinois: 9,302
The Rapid Rise of Privately Made Firearms
Between 2017 and 2023, law enforcement recovered a total of 92,702 suspected privately made firearms (PMFs). These weapons, often referred to as “ghost guns,” are typically assembled from kits, lack serial numbers, and are difficult to trace—making them particularly attractive in illegal markets.
Over the seven-year period, PMF recoveries surged by 1,600%, increasing from just 1,629 recoveries in 2017 to 27,490 in 2023. This dramatic growth has had significant public safety implications. Nearly 1,700 of these firearms were linked to homicides, and more than 4,000 were connected to other violent crimes, highlighting their rising role in serious criminal activity across the country.
Machinegun Conversion Devices and Manufacturing Shifts
Recoveries of machine gun conversion devices have grown sharply in recent years. Between 2019 and 2023, law enforcement agencies reported a 784% increase in these illegal modifications, with 4,542 devices recovered in 2023 alone. These conversions, often small enough to fit in a pocket, can transform a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic firearm, posing significant challenges for enforcement and public safety.
Broader firearm manufacturing trends show substantial long-term growth followed by a recent decline. Miscellaneous firearm manufacturing increased by 6,600% from 2000 to 2022, but then fell by 36% between 2022 and 2023.
At the same time, firearm suppressor production rose by 8,000%, and now accounts for 83% of all National Firearms Act–regulated manufacturing.
From 2000 to 2023, the number of firearms manufactured per 100,000 people increased by 113%, far outpacing the country’s 19% population growth during that same period. In terms of firearm distribution, federal licensees transferred at least 106,763,004 firearms to the public between 2017 and 2023, underscoring the scale of civilian gun access nationwide.
Shifts in Buyer Demographics
Demographic data, available for 96% of 2,307,686 traced crime guns, reveals meaningful shifts in the age distribution of firearm purchasers between 2019 and 2021.
The share of purchasers aged 18 to 24 increased from 21% to 24%, while the 25 to 34 age group rose from 33% to 35%. In contrast, the percentage of purchasers aged 35 and older declined from 47% to 42%, where it has since stabilized.
Gender data was available for 94% of the same group of traced firearms and showed a notable increase in female purchasers. From 2017 to 2021, the share of women purchasing firearms later recovered in crimes rose from 17% to 22%—a 31% increase—and remained steady through 2022 and 2023.
Understanding Time-to-Crime (TTC)
Time-to-crime (TTC) metrics track the length of time between a firearm’s legal purchase and its recovery in connection with a crime. These figures offer insight into how quickly firearms are diverted into illegal use. The median TTC dropped significantly—by 50%—from 4.2 years in 2017 to 2.1 years in 2021, before increasing slightly to 2.2 years in 2022 and 2.9 years in 2023.
Shorter TTC values are often linked to faster movement of guns into the criminal market. In 2019, 20% of firearms were recovered within one year of purchase, a figure that peaked at 32% in 2021 before returning to 20% in 2023. Traces occurring within three years followed a similar pattern, rising from 42% in 2019 to 54% in 2021, then dipping to 49% in 2023.
Of the 2,307,686 crime guns with a known source and recovery location, 72% were recovered in the same state where they were purchased, while 28% were recovered in a different state. For firearms recovered between 2022 and 2023, the median TTC was 2.1 years for intrastate recoveries and 4 years for interstate recoveries.
TTC values also varied by firearm type. For pistols, which made up 662,810 traces during this period, the median TTC was 2.3 years, with 25% recovered within one year and 56% within three years.
Rifles had a longer median TTC of 4.3 years, with 18% recovered within one year and 41% within three. Shotguns showed an even longer median TTC of 7.0 years, with 13% recovered within one year and 32% within three. Revolvers had the longest median TTC at 8.8 years, with 10% recovered within one year and 25% within three years.
Crime Gun Patterns: Multiple Sales and Shootings
Between 2019 and 2023, approximately 14% of more than 828,000 traced pistols were linked to repeat use in crimes, resulting in a total of 191,313 separate shooting events. In the majority of these cases, the firearm’s first documented shooting occurred within three years of its last known purchase. This data highlights the short time frame in which legally purchased guns can become tools in violent incidents.
Additionally, trace requests connected to multiple-sale transactions—instances where an individual purchased more than one firearm at once—rose sharply over time. From 2017 to 2023, traces tied to these types of purchases increased by 102%, suggesting that firearms bought in bulk may be more likely to enter criminal circulation.
Firearm Theft and Loss Trends
Theft remains a significant source of illegally possessed firearms. Between 2019 and 2023, nearly 1.1 million firearms were reported stolen across the United States, and 95% of these thefts involved private citizens rather than businesses or government entities. Among the recovered stolen firearms, pistols were frequently used in crimes, with a median time to first shooting of just 258 days.
Losses reported by federally licensed firearms dealers also contributed to the problem. In 2023, dealers filed 1,922 loss reports, involving a total of 14,797 missing firearms.
Texas led all states with 195 reports and 1,095 firearms lost, while Florida reported 1,130 firearms lost. Connecticut recorded 701 lost firearms, and Alabama reported 175 lost, with 64 attributed to burglaries.
In California, records showed 289 firearms lost and 248 lost through burglaries, reflecting a broad spectrum of loss scenarios across states.
States Linked to Mexico Trafficking
Cross-border firearm trafficking has intensified in recent years, with a sharp increase in guns recovered in Mexico that can be traced back to the United States. Between 2017 and 2023, the number of U.S.-origin crime guns recovered in Mexico increased by 63%.
In 2023 alone, 43% of these firearms were traced back to Texas, followed by 22% from Arizona and 9% from California, highlighting the central role these border states play in the flow of weapons to the south.
Much of this activity is concentrated within key trafficking routes. Five primary pipelines accounted for 32% of all recovered crime guns traced to a purchaser in Mexico, and 82% of these were recovered in regions controlled by the Sinaloa or Jalisco New Generation Cartels.
From 2017 to 2021, the ATF initiated 1,011 investigations into firearms trafficking to Mexico, recovering 1,082 crime guns, 92% of which were recovered within the United States—demonstrating the domestic dimension of international trafficking operations.
In 2023, ATF reported an 86% increase in southbound firearm interdictions compared to the previous year, reflecting ongoing enforcement efforts to disrupt this flow of illegal firearms across the border.
The Bigger Picture Behind the Numbers
These statistics tell a story far beyond spreadsheets. They highlight how quickly firearms move from purchase to violence, reveal changing dynamics in who is buying and using guns, and illustrate how both new technologies and trafficking networks influence crime trends.
By compiling and analyzing this data, we aim to provide a clearer understanding of the forces shaping public safety today.