Virginia Has Ranked Among the Worst States for Gun Crime for Over a Decade

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 Virginia. The ATF traced 11,909 seized firearms in the state in 2022, compared to 5,273 in 2010. Adjusting for population, gun crime has long been more common in Virginia 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 137 seized firearms for every 100,000 people in the state, the 16th highest gun-tracing rate among states.

2010: 5,273 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2010: 65.7 per 100,000 people (9th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2010: 47.1 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2010: 4.7 per 100,000 people (21st highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2010: 4.8 per 100,000 people

2011: 4,505 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2011: 55.6 per 100,000 people (13th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2011: 47.9 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2011: 3.8 per 100,000 people (22nd lowest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2011: 4.7 per 100,000 people

2012: 5,072 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2012: 62.0 per 100,000 people (12th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2012: 49.8 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2012: 3.9 per 100,000 people (24th lowest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2012: 4.7 per 100,000 people

2013: 5,264 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2013: 63.7 per 100,000 people (15th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2013: 52.6 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2013: 3.9 per 100,000 people (23rd lowest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2013: 4.5 per 100,000 people

2014: 5,189 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2014: 62.3 per 100,000 people (17th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2014: 53.4 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2014: 4.2 per 100,000 people (25th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2014: 4.4 per 100,000 people

2015: 5,789 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2015: 69.1 per 100,000 people (16th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2015: 59.3 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2015: 4.7 per 100,000 people (24th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2015: 4.9 per 100,000 people

2016: 6,626 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2016: 78.8 per 100,000 people (15th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2016: 65.4 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2016: 5.7 per 100,000 people (21st highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2016: 5.4 per 100,000 people

2017: 7,778 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2017: 91.8 per 100,000 people (13th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2017: 73.4 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2017: 5.6 per 100,000 people (22nd highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2017: 5.3 per 100,000 people

2018: 8,197 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2018: 96.2 per 100,000 people (13th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2018: 77.9 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2018: 4.9 per 100,000 people (23rd highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2018: 5.0 per 100,000 people

2019: 8,793 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2019: 103.0 per 100,000 people (15th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2019: 82.0 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2019: 5.2 per 100,000 people (20th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2019: 5.1 per 100,000 people

2020: 9,910 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2020: 116.5 per 100,000 people (14th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2020: 93.9 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2020: 6.1 per 100,000 people (24th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2020: 6.5 per 100,000 people

2021: 10,242 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2021: 118.5 per 100,000 people (19th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2021: 108.9 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2021: 7.7 per 100,000 people
U.S. homicide rate, 2021: 7.7 per 100,000 people

2022: 11,909 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia, 2022: 137.1 per 100,000 people (16th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2022: 119.8 per 100,000 people
Virginia homicide rate, 2022: 8.4 per 100,000 people (16th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2022: 7.3 per 100,000 people

Year	Firearm tracings per 100,000 people in Virginia	Firearm tracings per 100,000 people in the US	Total firearms traced by the ATF in Virginia	Total firearms traced by the ATF in the US
2022	137.1	119.8	11,909	399,397
2021	118.5	108.9	10,242	361,587
2020	116.5	93.9	9,910	306,686
2019	103.0	82.0	8,793	269,250
2018	96.2	77.9	8,197	254,700
2017	91.8	73.4	7,778	239,175
2016	78.8	65.4	6,626	211,384
2015	69.1	59.3	5,789	190,538
2014	62.3	53.4	5,189	170,344
2013	63.7	52.6	5,264	166,426
2012	62.0	49.8	5,072	156,346
2011	55.6	47.9	4,505	149,276
2010	65.7	47.1	5,273	145,604