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 New Jersey. The ATF traced 3,536 seized firearms in the state in 2022, compared to 1,980 in 2010. Still, adjusting for population, gun crime appears far less common in New Jersey 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 below the comparable national rate.
As of 2022, the most recent year of available data, the ATF traced 38.2 seized firearms for every 100,000 people in the state, the sixth lowest gun-tracing rate among states. New Jersey’s gun-tracing rate has ranked in the 10 lowest of the 50 states every year since 2015.
2010: 1,980 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2010: 22.5 per 100,000 people (12th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2010: 47.1 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2010: 4.2 per 100,000 people (25th lowest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2010: 4.8 per 100,000 people
2011: 2,063 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2011: 23.4 per 100,000 people (12th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2011: 47.9 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2011: 4.3 per 100,000 people (25th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2011: 4.7 per 100,000 people
2012: 2,112 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2012: 23.8 per 100,000 people (9th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2012: 49.8 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2012: 4.4 per 100,000 people (24th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2012: 4.7 per 100,000 people
2013: 2,218 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2013: 24.9 per 100,000 people (11th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2013: 52.6 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2013: 4.5 per 100,000 people (22nd highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2013: 4.5 per 100,000 people
2014: 2,379 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2014: 26.6 per 100,000 people (11th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2014: 53.4 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2014: 3.9 per 100,000 people (24th lowest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2014: 4.4 per 100,000 people
2015: 2,281 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2015: 25.5 per 100,000 people (8th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2015: 59.3 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2015: 4.1 per 100,000 people (21st lowest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2015: 4.9 per 100,000 people
2016: 2,477 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2016: 27.7 per 100,000 people (9th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2016: 65.4 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2016: 4.2 per 100,000 people (22nd lowest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2016: 5.4 per 100,000 people
2017: 2,591 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2017: 28.8 per 100,000 people (8th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2017: 73.4 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2017: 3.6 per 100,000 people (20th lowest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2017: 5.3 per 100,000 people
2018: 2,656 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2018: 29.8 per 100,000 people (9th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2018: 77.9 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2018: 3.2 per 100,000 people (20th lowest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2018: 5.0 per 100,000 people
2019: 2,700 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2019: 30.4 per 100,000 people (9th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2019: 82.0 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2019: 3.0 per 100,000 people (17th lowest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2019: 5.1 per 100,000 people
2020: 2,798 firearms traced by the ATF
Source: ChrisBoswell / iStock via Getty Images
- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2020: 31.5 per 100,000 people (6th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2020: 93.9 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2020: 3.7 per 100,000 people (15th lowest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2020: 6.5 per 100,000 people
2021: 3,202 firearms traced by the ATF
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- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2021: 34.6 per 100,000 people (6th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2021: 108.9 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2021: 3.6 per 100,000 people
- U.S. homicide rate, 2021: 7.7 per 100,000 people
2022: 3,536 firearms traced by the ATF
Source: Andrew Burton / Getty Images News via Getty Images
- Firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey, 2022: 38.2 per 100,000 people (6th lowest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2022: 119.8 per 100,000 people
- New Jersey homicide rate, 2022: 3.0 per 100,000 people (8th lowest)
- 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 New Jersey | Firearm tracings per 100,000 people in the US | Total firearms traced by the ATF in New Jersey | Total firearms traced by the ATF in the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 38.2 | 119.8 | 3,536 | 399,397 |
| 2021 | 34.6 | 108.9 | 3,202 | 361,587 |
| 2020 | 31.5 | 93.9 | 2,798 | 306,686 |
| 2019 | 30.4 | 82.0 | 2,700 | 269,250 |
| 2018 | 29.8 | 77.9 | 2,656 | 254,700 |
| 2017 | 28.8 | 73.4 | 2,591 | 239,175 |
| 2016 | 27.7 | 65.4 | 2,477 | 211,384 |
| 2015 | 25.5 | 59.3 | 2,281 | 190,538 |
| 2014 | 26.6 | 53.4 | 2,379 | 170,344 |
| 2013 | 24.9 | 52.6 | 2,218 | 166,426 |
| 2012 | 23.8 | 49.8 | 2,112 | 156,346 |
| 2011 | 23.4 | 47.9 | 2,063 | 149,276 |
| 2010 | 22.5 | 47.1 | 1,980 | 145,604 |
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