This is the City in Each State With the Most Gun-Related Crimes

The Gun Control Act of 1968 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson and is enforced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (also known as the ATF). The bill made traction after the high profile assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy. The act imposes stricter licensing and regulation on the firearms industry to aid in a variety of investigations. 

At the request of state or local law enforcement agencies, the ATF traces firearms suspected to have been used in a crime in order to determine when and where they were originally purchased. In 2022, the ATF traced nearly half a million firearms, 10% more than in the previous year. (These are the states where anyone can get a gun today.)

While not all guns traced by the ATF were used in a crime — and not all firearms used for illicit purposes are traced — federal tracing data offers valuable insight into trends and geographic patterns related to gun violence in the United States. Gun violence is disproportionately concentrated in many cities on this list. In all but a handful of states, over a third of all 2022 ATF firearm investigations originated in one of the four cities listed. Adjusting for population, the vast majority of these cities had a higher rate of firearm tracings per capita than the state as a whole. (This is where criminals in every state get their guns.)

Using ATF tracing data as a proxy for criminal firearm offenses, 24/7 Wall St. identified the four cities in each state with the most gun-related crime. Cities are ranked by the total number of firearms traced by the ATF in 2022. 

Why This Matters

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24/7 wants to help keep you informed on statistics that affect your decisions regarding your personal wealth. Between 2019 and 2021, the gun homicide rate rose over six times faster than the rate of murders that did not involve a firearm. We’re writing this article to give our readers a sense of which cities in each state have a greater potential for gun-related crime. A city’s economic standing is affected by crime rates. High crime rates affect local businesses, labor pool, and housing markets.

Scroll below to see the city in each state with the most gun-related crimes. All data is from 2022.

Alabama

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• City with the most gun tracings: Mobile; 1,734 firearms (92.5 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Huntsville; 1,408 firearms (67.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Montgomery; 784 firearms (39.0 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 10,519 firearms (21.0 per 10,000 people)

Alaska

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• City with the most gun tracings: Anchorage; 886 firearms (30.3 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Wasilla; 78 firearms (85.7 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Juneau; 32 firearms (9.9 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 1,200 firearms (16.3 per 10,000 people)

Arizona

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• City with the most gun tracings: Phoenix; 5,214 firearms (32.8 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Tucson; 2,009 firearms (37.3 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Glendale; 1,055 firearms (42.9 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 14,019 firearms (19.8 per 10,000 people)

Arkansas

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• City with the most gun tracings: Little Rock; 1,166 firearms (57.8 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: North Little Rock; 416 firearms (64.6 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Jonesboro; 408 firearms (52.6 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 3,494 firearms (11.6 per 10,000 people)

California

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• City with the most gun tracings: Los Angeles; 7,939 firearms (20.3 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Sacramento; 2,329 firearms (44.9 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Fresno; 1,907 firearms (35.4 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 56,262 firearms (14.3 per 10,000 people)

Colorado

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• City with the most gun tracings: Denver; 2,056 firearms (29.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Colorado Springs; 1,520 firearms (32.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Pueblo; 603 firearms (54.1 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 7,917 firearms (13.8 per 10,000 people)

Connecticut

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• City with the most gun tracings: Hartford; 368 firearms (30.3 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: New Haven; 306 firearms (22.9 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Waterbury; 220 firearms (19.3 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 1,917 firearms (5.3 per 10,000 people)

Delaware

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• City with the most gun tracings: Wilmington; 559 firearms (78.8 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Newark; 195 firearms (62.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Dover; 172 firearms (44.2 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 1,676 firearms (17.1 per 10,000 people)

Florida

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• City with the most gun tracings: Jacksonville; 3,550 firearms (37.9 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Orlando; 3,237 firearms (106.8 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Tampa; 2,684 firearms (70.5 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 36,335 firearms (17.0 per 10,000 people)

Georgia

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• City with the most gun tracings: Atlanta; 4,395 firearms (89.3 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Augusta; 1,324 firearms (65.8 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Macon; 959 firearms (61.2 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 22,656 firearms (21.3 per 10,000 people)

Hawaii

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• City with the most gun tracings: Honolulu; 71 firearms (2.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Lihue; 55 firearms (65.7 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Kihei; 24 firearms (10.5 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 287 firearms (2.0 per 10,000 people)

Idaho

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• City with the most gun tracings: Boise; 347 firearms (15.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Meridian; 124 firearms (10.8 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Twin Falls; 108 firearms (21.1 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 1,495 firearms (8.3 per 10,000 people)

Illinois

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• City with the most gun tracings: Chicago; 8,671 firearms (31.6 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Rockford; 577 firearms (38.7 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Springfield; 537 firearms (46.8 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 19,706 firearms (15.4 per 10,000 people)

Indiana

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• City with the most gun tracings: Indianapolis; 4,936 firearms (56.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Fort Wayne; 997 firearms (38.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Gary; 612 firearms (87.8 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 11,320 firearms (16.8 per 10,000 people)

Iowa

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• City with the most gun tracings: Des Moines; 748 firearms (35.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Davenport; 380 firearms (37.4 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Cedar Rapids; 274 firearms (20.1 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 3,196 firearms (10.1 per 10,000 people)

Kansas

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• City with the most gun tracings: Wichita; 1,526 firearms (38.7 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Kansas City; 745 firearms (47.8 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Topeka; 672 firearms (53.0 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 4,521 firearms (15.4 per 10,000 people)

Kentucky

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• City with the most gun tracings: Louisville; 2,701 firearms (42.9 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Lexington; 1,178 firearms (36.7 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Owensboro; 319 firearms (53.3 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 7,524 firearms (16.7 per 10,000 people)

Louisiana

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• City with the most gun tracings: New Orleans; 2,908 firearms (75.7 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Baton Rouge; 2,334 firearms (103.5 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Shreveport; 1,422 firearms (75.1 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 16,235 firearms (34.9 per 10,000 people)

Maine

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• City with the most gun tracings: Hebron; 858 firearms
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Portland; 82 firearms (12.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Lebanon; 30 firearms
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 1,398 firearms (10.3 per 10,000 people)

Maryland

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• City with the most gun tracings: Baltimore; 3,215 firearms (54.3 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Silver Spring; 323 firearms (39.2 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Hyattsville; 307 firearms (147.7 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 11,137 firearms (18.1 per 10,000 people)

Massachusetts

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• City with the most gun tracings: Boston; 346 firearms (5.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Springfield; 315 firearms (20.2 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Dorchester; 246 firearms
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 3,665 firearms (5.2 per 10,000 people)

Michigan

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• City with the most gun tracings: Detroit; 5,776 firearms (89.5 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Flint; 641 firearms (76.9 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Pontiac; 356 firearms (57.9 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 10,145 firearms (10.1 per 10,000 people)

Minnesota

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• City with the most gun tracings: Minneapolis; 1,342 firearms (31.6 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: St. Paul; 714 firearms (23.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Brooklyn Park; 198 firearms (23.2 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 5,327 firearms (9.4 per 10,000 people)

Mississippi

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• City with the most gun tracings: Gulfport; 588 firearms (81.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Hattiesburg; 400 firearms (85.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Southaven; 362 firearms (66.9 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 5,358 firearms (18.1 per 10,000 people)

Missouri

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• City with the most gun tracings: St. Louis; 3,271 firearms (108.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Kansas City; 2,613 firearms (52.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Florissant; 447 firearms (85.3 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 10,159 firearms (16.5 per 10,000 people)

Montana

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• City with the most gun tracings: Billings; 343 firearms (29.6 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Great Falls; 225 firearms (37.3 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Missoula; 97 firearms (13.2 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 1,305 firearms (12.1 per 10,000 people)

Nebraska

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• City with the most gun tracings: Omaha; 1,296 firearms (26.6 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Lincoln; 266 firearms (9.2 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Grand Island; 81 firearms (15.4 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 2,141 firearms (11.0 per 10,000 people)

Nevada

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• City with the most gun tracings: Las Vegas; 4,391 firearms (69.2 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Henderson; 533 firearms (17.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: North Las Vegas; 264 firearms (10.2 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 5,959 firearms (19.5 per 10,000 people)

New Hampshire

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• City with the most gun tracings: Manchester; 367 firearms (32.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Newport; 47 firearms (88.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Nashua; 39 firearms (4.3 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 710 firearms (5.2 per 10,000 people)

New Jersey

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• City with the most gun tracings: Newark; 686 firearms (22.4 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Camden; 381 firearms (52.6 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Trenton; 371 firearms (41.2 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 5,248 firearms (5.7 per 10,000 people)

New Mexico

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• City with the most gun tracings: Albuquerque; 2,164 firearms (38.5 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Roswell; 356 firearms (73.6 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Las Cruces; 272 firearms (24.7 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 3,955 firearms (18.7 per 10,000 people)

New York

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• City with the most gun tracings: New York City; 5,455 firearms (6.2 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Rochester; 931 firearms (44.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Buffalo; 768 firearms (27.8 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 11,987 firearms (6.0 per 10,000 people)

North Carolina

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• City with the most gun tracings: Charlotte; 4,191 firearms (48.5 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Greensboro; 1,869 firearms (63.3 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Winston-Salem; 1,531 firearms (61.8 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 25,085 firearms (24.2 per 10,000 people)

North Dakota

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• City with the most gun tracings: Fargo; 193 firearms (15.4 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Williston; 129 firearms (47.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Minot; 101 firearms (21.0 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 832 firearms (10.8 per 10,000 people)

Ohio

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• City with the most gun tracings: Columbus; 3,525 firearms (39.2 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Cincinnati; 2,328 firearms (75.4 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Cleveland; 2,066 firearms (55.1 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 20,520 firearms (17.4 per 10,000 people)

Oklahoma

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• City with the most gun tracings: Tulsa; 2,038 firearms (49.6 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Oklahoma City; 2,035 firearms (30.2 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Moore; 163 firearms (26.0 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 5,657 firearms (14.3 per 10,000 people)

Oregon

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• City with the most gun tracings: Portland; 1,577 firearms (24.4 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Salem; 450 firearms (25.8 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Eugene; 326 firearms (18.8 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 5,586 firearms (13.3 per 10,000 people)

Pennsylvania

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• City with the most gun tracings: Philadelphia; 6,578 firearms (41.2 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Pittsburgh; 1,174 firearms (38.7 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Gordonville; 780 firearms (13953.5 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 17,543 firearms (13.5 per 10,000 people)

Rhode Island

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• City with the most gun tracings: Providence; 364 firearms (19.3 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Burrillville; 213 firearms
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Cranston; 89 firearms (10.8 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 1,017 firearms (9.3 per 10,000 people)

South Carolina

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• City with the most gun tracings: Columbia; 2,265 firearms (165.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: North Charleston; 1,188 firearms (103.7 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Charleston; 641 firearms (43.3 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 12,106 firearms (23.8 per 10,000 people)

South Dakota

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• City with the most gun tracings: Rapid City; 429 firearms (58.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Sioux Falls; 131 firearms (6.9 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Lantry; 66 firearms (17368.4 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 929 firearms (10.5 per 10,000 people)

Tennessee

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• City with the most gun tracings: Memphis; 6,896 firearms (108.7 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Chattanooga; 1,756 firearms (97.4 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Nashville; 1,735 firearms (25.4 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 17,182 firearms (25.0 per 10,000 people)

Texas

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• City with the most gun tracings: Houston; 13,331 firearms (58.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: San Antonio; 6,265 firearms (43.7 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Dallas; 5,890 firearms (45.3 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 56,466 firearms (19.6 per 10,000 people)

Utah

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• City with the most gun tracings: Salt Lake City; 509 firearms (25.6 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: West Valley City; 232 firearms (16.6 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Ogden; 212 firearms (24.6 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 3,453 firearms (10.7 per 10,000 people)

Vermont

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• City with the most gun tracings: Burlington; 55 firearms (12.3 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: South Burlington; 24 firearms (12.0 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Colchester; 16 firearms
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 299 firearms (4.7 per 10,000 people)

Virginia

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• City with the most gun tracings: Richmond; 1,770 firearms (78.4 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Virginia Beach; 1,620 firearms (35.4 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Newport News; 1,312 firearms (70.9 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 14,465 firearms (16.9 per 10,000 people)

Washington

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• City with the most gun tracings: Seattle; 865 firearms (11.9 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Spokane; 634 firearms (28.1 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Tacoma; 607 firearms (27.9 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 6,191 firearms (8.1 per 10,000 people)

West Virginia

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• City with the most gun tracings: Charleston; 348 firearms (70.9 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Huntington; 203 firearms (43.3 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Beckley; 150 firearms (86.9 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 2,104 firearms (11.7 per 10,000 people)

Wisconsin

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• City with the most gun tracings: Milwaukee; 3,512 firearms (60.7 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Madison; 467 firearms (17.6 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Racine; 396 firearms (51.0 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 8,007 firearms (13.6 per 10,000 people)

Wyoming

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• City with the most gun tracings: Casper; 75 firearms (12.8 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 2nd most gun tracings: Cheyenne; 48 firearms (7.4 per 10,000 people)
• City with the 3rd most gun tracings:: Green River; 28 firearms (23.6 per 10,000 people)
• Aggregate number of gun tracings in state: 340 firearms (5.9 per 10,000 people)

Methodology

To identify the four cities in each state where the most guns are linked to crime, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. For each state, we identified the four cities or towns in which the ATF traced the most firearms in the 2022 calendar year.

Guns that are traced by the ATF are typically those found at crime scenes and either have been used, or are suspected to have been used, to commit a crime. Though it is important to note that not all firearms used in a crime are traced.

The number of firearms traced for every 10,000 people was calculated using five-year population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey.