Everytown Analysis: ATF Data Shows Increases In Key Indicators Of Gun Trafficking During 2020
12.20.2021
Nearly Twice As Many Crime Guns Recovered Within 3 Months of Purchase Compared With 2019; More Than 1 in 4 of All Crime Guns Recovered Was Bought in a Different State From Where It Was Recovered
The Number of Guns Recovered from People Under Age 24 Increased Faster than the Number for Any Other Age Group
Nine States Were the Source for Over Half of All Trafficked Guns in 2020
NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, an arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released a new analysis of recently released ATF data revealing a sharp increase in guns recovered in crimes in 2020 within three months of being purchased – an indicator of possible gun trafficking. According to Everytown’s analysis:
- The number of guns recovered in a crime within three months of being purchased nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020, from 19,586 to 38,377. As noted in reporting by The Trace and 538, “[l]aw enforcement officials generally view a short time-to-crime as an indicator that a firearm was purchased with criminal intent.”
- The number of crime guns recovered from young adults 24 and under grew by 22% in 2020, making it the fastest growing age segment for gun recoveries, more than double the rate of increase of people aged 25 to 50.
- Over a quarter of all recovered guns moved across state lines before being recovered (27%).
- 9 states are the source for over 50% of trafficked* guns recovered in 2020: Georgia (2,259), Arizona (2,119), Virginia (1,785), Texas (1,570), Indiana (1,504), South Carolina (1,280), Mississippi (1,188), Nevada (1,162) and Florida (1,063).
- Seven states are the destination for over 50% of trafficked* guns: California (4,840), Illinois (2,446), New York (1,377), Texas (1,314), Maryland (1,283), Florida (1,114) and North Carolina (1,089).
*Trafficked guns are defined as those that moved across state lines and were used in a crime in under three years from the time of purchase.“This data sheds new light on the sharp spike in gun violence in 2020, suggesting that an increase in gun trafficking into illegal markets may have played a significant role,” said Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. “These alarming increases in key indicators of gun trafficking make it clear that we urgently need action at the federal, state and local levels to address gun trafficking and gun violence.”