Firearm sales have hit historic highs in the U.S. in recent years, and the ongoing proliferation of firearms may be fueling a rise in gun crime.
When firearms are recovered at a crime scene or taken from a suspect, they are often reported to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for tracing. In these cases, the ATF assists in criminal investigations by using serial numbers and other markings to determine when and where a firearm was originally purchased — and over the last 12 years, firearm-related offenses have been taking up a growing share of federal resources.
Between 2010 and 2022, the number of guns traced by the ATF surged by 174%, from 145,600 to 399,400, climbing by anywhere from 3% to 18% in a single year. Most homicides in the U.S. are committed with a firearm, and over the same period, the national homicide rate climbed by over 50%.
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.
Mirroring the national trend, gun tracings are up sharply in Texas. The ATF traced 48,632 seized firearms in the state in 2022, compared to 10,111 in 2010. Adjusting for population, gun crime now appears far more common in Texas than it is across the U.S. as a whole. In seven of the last eight years, the number of firearm tracings for every 100,000 people in the state was above the comparable national rate.
As of 2022, the most recent year of available data, the ATF traced 162 seized firearms for every 100,000 people in the state, the seventh highest gun-tracing rate among states.
2010: 10,111 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2010: 40.0 per 100,000 people (24th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2010: 47.1 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2010: 4.9 per 100,000 people (19th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2010: 4.8 per 100,000 people
2011: 10,437 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2011: 40.7 per 100,000 people (25th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2011: 47.9 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2011: 4.4 per 100,000 people (23rd highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2011: 4.7 per 100,000 people
2012: 9,522 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2012: 36.5 per 100,000 people (21st lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2012: 49.8 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2012: 4.4 per 100,000 people (23rd highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2012: 4.7 per 100,000 people
2013: 11,144 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2013: 42.1 per 100,000 people (22nd lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2013: 52.6 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2013: 4.3 per 100,000 people (24th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2013: 4.5 per 100,000 people
2014: 11,747 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2014: 43.6 per 100,000 people (23rd lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2014: 53.4 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2014: 4.4 per 100,000 people (23rd highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2014: 4.4 per 100,000 people
2015: 16,798 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2015: 61.2 per 100,000 people (20th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2015: 59.3 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2015: 4.8 per 100,000 people (22nd highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2015: 4.9 per 100,000 people
2016: 19,324 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2016: 69.4 per 100,000 people (19th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2016: 65.4 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2016: 5.3 per 100,000 people (24th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2016: 5.4 per 100,000 people
2017: 22,188 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2017: 78.4 per 100,000 people (19th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2017: 73.4 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2017: 5.0 per 100,000 people (25th lowest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2017: 5.3 per 100,000 people
2018: 24,124 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2018: 84.1 per 100,000 people (21st highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2018: 77.9 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2018: 4.6 per 100,000 people (25th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2018: 5.0 per 100,000 people
2019: 23,597 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2019: 81.4 per 100,000 people (25th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2019: 82.0 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2019: 4.9 per 100,000 people (24th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2019: 5.1 per 100,000 people
2020: 31,827 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2020: 111.1 per 100,000 people (15th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2020: 93.9 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2020: 6.6 per 100,000 people (22nd highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2020: 6.5 per 100,000 people
2021: 39,281 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2021: 133.0 per 100,000 people (14th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2021: 108.9 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2021: 8.2 per 100,000 people
- U.S. homicide rate, 2021: 7.7 per 100,000 people
2022: 48,632 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in Texas, 2022: 161.9 per 100,000 people (7th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2022: 119.8 per 100,000 people
- Texas homicide rate, 2022: 8.0 per 100,000 people (20th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2022: 7.3 per 100,000 people
Source: Courtesy of 24/7 Wall St.
| Year | Firearm tracings per 100,000 people in Texas | Firearm tracings per 100,000 people in the US | Total firearms traced by the ATF in Texas | Total firearms traced by the ATF in the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 161.9 | 119.8 | 48,632 | 399,397 |
| 2021 | 133.0 | 108.9 | 39,281 | 361,587 |
| 2020 | 111.1 | 93.9 | 31,827 | 306,686 |
| 2019 | 81.4 | 82.0 | 23,597 | 269,250 |
| 2018 | 84.1 | 77.9 | 24,124 | 254,700 |
| 2017 | 78.4 | 73.4 | 22,188 | 239,175 |
| 2016 | 69.4 | 65.4 | 19,324 | 211,384 |
| 2015 | 61.2 | 59.3 | 16,798 | 190,538 |
| 2014 | 43.6 | 53.4 | 11,747 | 170,344 |
| 2013 | 42.1 | 52.6 | 11,144 | 166,426 |
| 2012 | 36.5 | 49.8 | 9,522 | 156,346 |
| 2011 | 40.7 | 47.9 | 10,437 | 149,276 |
| 2010 | 40.0 | 47.1 | 10,111 | 145,604 |
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