An estimated 1 in 3 American adults own at least one firearm. The most common reasons Americans cite for exercising their Second Amendment rights include personal protection, target shooting, and hunting. But with nearly 400 million civilian-owned firearms in circulation, some have inevitably fallen into the wrong hands, fueling a nationwide surge in gun violence. (Here is a look at the states where people buy the most guns.)
According to the FBI, active shooter incidents climbed by over 50% in 2021 compared to the previous year. Additionally, firearms were involved in over 234,500 violent crimes in 2021, a more than 30% increase from 2020.
Amid rising rates of gun violence, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives reported a spike in firearm trace requests from local, state, federal, and international law enforcement agencies. Guns that are traced by the ATF are typically those found at crime scenes. These guns have either been used, or are suspected to have been used, to commit a crime. It is important to note that not all firearms used in a crime are traced.
The ATF traced more than 453,500 firearms in 2021, up 16.2% from 389,300 in 2020 – and the increase is being driven by several states in particular.
Illinois is one of 15 states in which the rise in firearm tracings exceeded the national average. The ATF traced a reported 19,086 firearms in the state in 2021, up from 14,897 in 2020. The 28.1% increase ranks as the sixth largest among the 50 states.
The most commonly traced firearms in Illinois in 2021 were chambered for 9mm, .40 caliber, and .45 caliber rounds, in that order. These three calibers alone accounted for 68.5% of all firearms traced by the ATF in the state last year.
RankState1-yr change in firearm tracingsATF firearm tracings, 2021ATF firearm tracings, 20201Massachusetts74.5%3,1931,8302Rhode Island59.7%6614143Oklahoma54.4%5,2463,3974New York41.9%10,1987,1875Connecticut40.9%1,5961,1336Illinois28.1%19,08614,8977Florida27.3%34,33126,9668Ohio25.8%20,72316,4729Louisiana24.1%13,70211,04110North Carolina20.8%22,91818,97311California20.2%53,76144,70912Wisconsin19.2%7,0215,89213Texas19.0%45,35138,10914Tennessee18.2%15,33712,97015Kansas16.7%4,2733,66116South Carolina14.7%10,6619,29517New Mexico14.1%4,0603,55718Indiana14.0%10,3169,04919Kentucky13.9%6,7645,94120Minnesota13.4%4,5604,02021Wyoming13.4%28825422Alabama11.8%8,7977,86823New Jersey11.5%4,6404,16124Delaware10.7%1,6511,49125Pennsylvania9.9%15,18613,82326Arizona9.8%12,02710,95227Maryland9.4%9,7108,87228Idaho9.4%1,3451,22929Michigan8.6%12,27411,30130Nevada8.5%6,6876,16431New Hampshire8.1%69264032Utah8.0%2,9892,76733Colorado6.7%6,9546,51634Georgia6.2%20,35619,17235Missouri5.2%10,0969,59836Arkansas4.8%3,5163,35537South Dakota4.0%80677538Oregon3.8%5,3315,13839Washington3.2%5,4785,31040Mississippi2.2%4,6994,59641Nebraska1.9%2,1812,14042Iowa0.4%2,5552,54643Virginia-0.1%12,01912,03344Alaska-4.5%77881545North Dakota-5.9%75079746Montana-10.6%1,1251,25947Maine-17.9%49960848West Virginia-23.4%1,6712,18149Hawaii-24.1%11014550Vermont-26.1%232314
