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 North Carolina. The ATF traced 20,737 seized firearms in the state in 2022, compared to 7,290 in 2010. Adjusting for population, gun crime has long been more common in North Carolina than it is across the U.S. as a whole. In each of the last 13 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 194 seized firearms for every 100,000 people in the state, the fourth highest gun-tracing rate among states.
2010: 7,290 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2010: 76.2 per 100,000 people (4th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2010: 47.1 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2010: 5.0 per 100,000 people (18th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2010: 4.8 per 100,000 people
2011: 7,652 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2011: 79.2 per 100,000 people (5th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2011: 47.9 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2011: 5.2 per 100,000 people (16th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2011: 4.7 per 100,000 people
2012: 8,142 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2012: 83.5 per 100,000 people (4th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2012: 49.8 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2012: 4.9 per 100,000 people (19th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2012: 4.7 per 100,000 people
2013: 8,014 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2013: 81.4 per 100,000 people (7th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2013: 52.6 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2013: 4.7 per 100,000 people (19th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2013: 4.5 per 100,000 people
2014: 7,767 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2014: 78.1 per 100,000 people (8th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2014: 53.4 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2014: 5.0 per 100,000 people (16th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2014: 4.4 per 100,000 people
2015: 8,715 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2015: 86.8 per 100,000 people (9th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2015: 59.3 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2015: 5.2 per 100,000 people (19th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2015: 4.9 per 100,000 people
2016: 9,611 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2016: 94.7 per 100,000 people (8th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2016: 65.4 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2016: 6.7 per 100,000 people (12th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2016: 5.4 per 100,000 people
2017: 11,325 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2017: 110.2 per 100,000 people (7th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2017: 73.4 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2017: 6.1 per 100,000 people (17th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2017: 5.3 per 100,000 people
2018: 11,704 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2018: 112.7 per 100,000 people (6th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2018: 77.9 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2018: 5.5 per 100,000 people (18th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2018: 5.0 per 100,000 people
2019: 13,149 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2019: 125.4 per 100,000 people (8th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2019: 82.0 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2019: 6.2 per 100,000 people (13th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2019: 5.1 per 100,000 people
2020: 15,352 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2020: 147.8 per 100,000 people (6th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2020: 93.9 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2020: 8.0 per 100,000 people (11th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2020: 6.5 per 100,000 people
2021: 19,003 firearms traced by the ATF
Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2021: 180.1 per 100,000 people (4th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2021: 108.9 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2021: 10.3 per 100,000 people
- U.S. homicide rate, 2021: 7.7 per 100,000 people
2022: 20,737 firearms traced by the ATF
Source: Kruck20 / Getty Images
- Firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina, 2022: 193.8 per 100,000 people (4th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2022: 119.8 per 100,000 people
- North Carolina homicide rate, 2022: 9.0 per 100,000 people (12th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2022: 7.3 per 100,000 people
Source: Courtesy of: 24/7 Wall St.
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| Year | Firearm tracings per 100,000 people in North Carolina | Firearm tracings per 100,000 people in the US | Total firearms traced by the ATF in North Carolina | Total firearms traced by the ATF in the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 193.8 | 119.8 | 20,737 | 399,397 |
| 2021 | 180.1 | 108.9 | 19,003 | 361,587 |
| 2020 | 147.8 | 93.9 | 15,352 | 306,686 |
| 2019 | 125.4 | 82.0 | 13,149 | 269,250 |
| 2018 | 112.7 | 77.9 | 11,704 | 254,700 |
| 2017 | 110.2 | 73.4 | 11,325 | 239,175 |
| 2016 | 94.7 | 65.4 | 9,611 | 211,384 |
| 2015 | 86.8 | 59.3 | 8,715 | 190,538 |
| 2014 | 78.1 | 53.4 | 7,767 | 170,344 |
| 2013 | 81.4 | 52.6 | 8,014 | 166,426 |
| 2012 | 83.5 | 49.8 | 8,142 | 156,346 |
| 2011 | 79.2 | 47.9 | 7,652 | 149,276 |
| 2010 | 76.2 | 47.1 | 7,290 | 145,604 |
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