New Everytown Report Finds Just 25 Cities Account for Over 209,000 Crime Guns, Exposing How a Small Number of Dealers Drive Illegal Trafficking

The Analysis of Crime Guns Provides Local Leaders with Strategies to Stop Trafficking at the Source, as Trump Administration Pullback Leaves Dangerous Gap in Federal Firearms Enforcement

NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund today released a new report identifying 25 cities as home to gun dealers that were the source of 209,748 crime guns between 2017 and 2021. The crime guns that were originally purchased from licensed gun dealers in these cities accounted for a staggering 14 percent of all crime guns recovered and traced nationwide, with data revealing that a massive volume of these firearms showed clear, actionable signs of illegal trafficking.

With the Trump Administration dismantling federal oversight – including quietly ending a program increasing oversight of problem dealers, inviting shuttered scofflaw dealers to re-open, and gutting ATF oversight resources – this report serves as an urgent roadmap for mayors and other local leaders to step into the void. As the federal government retreats from proper enforcement duties, local leaders can help to protect communities by identifying and holding the handful of irresponsible dealers driving the gun trafficking crisis accountable. Everytown stands ready to support these leaders with the data and strategies needed to fill this gap, ensuring that local officials are not alone in the fight to stop crime guns at the source.

“While dealer oversight may be in retreat under the Trump Administration, mayors and city officials don’t have to wait for Washington to act. They can take the lead in holding these bad actors accountable right now,” said Chelsea Parsons, Senior Director of Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. “This report provides local leaders the tools they need to identify these problematic dealers and shut down the high-speed pipelines driving violence in their communities.”

“While most gun dealers follow the law, a small number of bad actors are fueling the violence in our streets,” said Marianna Mitchem, Senior Firearms Industry Advisor at Everytown for Gun Safety and former ATF official. “As the federal government shirks its responsibility to oversee these dealers, local leaders have a critical opportunity to step into the void. This is about inviting responsible business owners to be part of the solution while using every tool available to stop the fraction of dealers who turn a blind eye to trafficking.”

The report demonstrates that the volume of gun trafficking is not a byproduct of city size or regional demographics. Instead, researchers found that high crime gun recoveries are frequently driven by a small concentration of bad actor gun dealers: Jonesboro, Georgia ranked 11th in the nation for crime gun sources despite only having a population size of 4,000 people – a statistic likely attributable to a single prolific dealer, Arrowhead Pawn, a notorious dealer that became a major supplier of crime guns in the mid-2000s with multiple willful violations of federal law and that shut down in 2023.

Key findings from the report include:

• Dealers in just 25 cities were the source of 209,748 crime guns over a five-year period, making up a staggering 14 percent of all nationwide traces. 

• Researchers identified 155 licensed dealers in these 25 cities that may warrant a closer look by law enforcement or regulatory authorities based on past histories of high-volume short time-to-crime gun traces.

• High volumes of crime guns are not necessarily tied to city population, but rather likely to a small number of specific dealers who ignore red flags of suspicious purchases or fail to properly secure their dangerous inventory.

• In nearly all top source cities, recovered guns showed a median time-to-crime of under three years, a primary indicator of illegal trafficking.

• Many of the crime guns purchased in these cities were likely used in violent crime locally. According to ATF research, in each of the states where these cities are located, at least half of all crime guns recovered were originally sold by a dealer within 25 miles.

• Although the Trump Administration purports to prioritize fighting crime, it has taken steps to severely weaken the ability of federal law enforcement agencies to identify gun traffickers and their suppliers and shut down trafficking pipelines. This will undoubtedly embolden criminal networks to continue funneling illegal guns into our communities. 

Local leaders in these cities – and in any locality where gun dealers are operating – can take action to fill the gap left by the Trump administration by (1) collecting comprehensive data on crime guns, (2) using crime gun intelligence to identify the dealers most responsible for enabling gun trafficking, (3) holding bad actor gun dealers who supply traffickers accountable, (4) working with gun dealers to recognize the signs of suspicious sales and prevent trafficking, and (5) adopting procurement policies that ensure government funds do not support bad actor gun dealers. 

By taking action, local leaders can help protect communities from the trafficking pipelines that currently operate with increasing impunity. While federal oversight has faltered, the report concludes that cities have a unique opportunity to work alongside the majority of responsible gun dealers to isolate and stop the bad actors putting American communities at risk.

Gun trafficking experts with Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund are available for comment. Please contact [email protected] to coordinate.