Data Source: Firearms Tracing System
January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
Contents
- ATF Firearms Trace Data Disclaimer
- Table: Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced in California in Calendar Year 2021
- Table: Firearm Types with a California Recovery
- Table: Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a California Recovery
- Table: Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a California Recovery
- Table: Top 15 Source States for Firearms with a California Recovery
- Table: Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms with a California Recovery
- Table: Age of Possessors for Firearms with a California Recovery
- Table: Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a California Recovery
- Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics
ATF Firearms Trace Data Disclaimer
Firearm traces are designed to assist law enforcement authorities in conducting investigations by tracking the sale and possession of specific firearms. Law enforcement agencies may request firearms traces for any investigative reason, and those reasons are not necessarily reported to the federal government. Not all firearms used in crime are traced and not all firearms traced are used in crime.
Firearms selected for tracing are not chosen for purposes of determining which types, makes or models of firearms are used for illicit purposes. The firearms selected do not constitute a random sample and should not be considered representative of the larger universe of all firearms used by criminals, or any subset of that universe. Firearms are normally traced to the first retail seller, and sources reported for firearms traced do not necessarily represent the sources or methods by which firearms in general are acquired for use in crime.
Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced in California in Calendar Year 2021
Firearm Types with a California Recovery
January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
| Pistols | 36,768 |
|---|---|
| Rifles | 7,695 |
| Revolvers | 5,356 |
| Shotguns | 3,456 |
| Unknown Types | 417 |
| Derringers | 233 |
| Other* | 413 |
* Other includes Machineguns, Receivers/Frames, Combinations, Any Other Weapons, Silencers, Flare Guns, Destructive Devices and a Tear Gas Launcher.
Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a California Recovery
January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
| 9mm | 21,437 |
|---|---|
| .40 Cal | 5,504 |
| .22 Cal | 4,989 |
| .45 Cal | 3,721 |
| 12GA | 2,833 |
| .38 Cal | 2,375 |
| .380 Cal | 2,034 |
| 5.56mm | 1,425 |
| .357 Cal | 1,367 |
| .223 Cal | 1,254 |
NOTE: There were 5,647 additional traces that were associated with other calibers. There were 1,752 traces with an unknown caliber.
Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a California Recovery
January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
| Possession of Weapon | 22,493 |
|---|---|
| Weapon Offense | 7,909 |
| Found Firearm | 3,358 |
| Dangerous Drugs | 2,566 |
| Carrying Concealed Weapon | 2,442 |
| Firearm Under Investigation | 2,197 |
| Aggravated Assault | 1,236 |
| Obstruction of Justice | 1,175 |
| Homicide | 1,127 |
| Traffic Offense | 1,047 |
NOTE: There were 8,788 additional traces that were associated with other categories.
Top 15 Source States for Firearms with a California Recovery
January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
| California | 15,667 |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 4,725 |
| Nevada | 2,275 |
| Texas | 1,653 |
| Utah | 648 |
| Georgia | 565 |
| Oregon | 539 |
| Oklahoma | 454 |
| Washington | 407 |
| Florida | 383 |
| Idaho | 329 |
| Arkansas | 244 |
| Missouri | 241 |
| Colorado | 240 |
| Tennessee | 225 |
NOTE: An additional 35 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico accounted for 3,014 other traces. The source state was identified in 31,609 total traces.
Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms with a California Recovery
January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
| Under 3 Months | 2,103 |
|---|---|
| 3 Months to Under 7 Months | 2,641 |
| 7 Months to Under 1 Year | 2,749 |
| 1 Year to Under 2 Years | 3,596 |
| 2 Years to Under 3 Years | 1,986 |
| 3 Years and Over | 18,354 |
1/1/2021-12/31/2021 California Average Time-to-Crime: 8.92 Years
1/1/2021-12/31/2021 National Average Time-to-Crime: 6.24 Years
Age of Possessors for Firearms with a California Recovery
January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
| 17 and Under | 1,191 |
|---|---|
| 18 to 21 | 4,391 |
| 22 to 24 | 3,930 |
| 25 to 30 | 8,308 |
| 31 to 40 | 10,480 |
| 41 to 50 | 5,537 |
| Over 50 | 5,420 |
1/1/2021-12/31/2021 California Average Age of Possessor: 35 Years
1/1/2021-12/31/2021 National Average Age of Possessor: 34 Years
Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a California Recovery
January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
| Los Angeles | 8,036 |
|---|---|
| Sacramento | 2,246 |
| San Diego | 1,463 |
| Oakland | 1,348 |
| Stockton | 1,132 |
| San Bernardino | 1,083 |
| Fresno | 963 |
| San Francisco | 873 |
| Ontario | 710 |
| Modesto | 699 |
NOTE: There were 934 additional municipalities that accounted for 35,675 other traces. The recovery city could not be determined for 110 traces.
Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics
Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced
- Includes traces with a recovery state of California. Traces in which the recovery state was not provided were included when the requesting agency state was equal to California.
- Includes Firearms Recovered and Traced between 1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021 or, if the recovery date was blank, firearms with trace entry dates between 1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021.
- Duplicate traces, Firearms Not Recovered, Gun Buyback and Firearms Turned In are not included in this figure.
- Data was extracted from the Firearms Tracing System (FTS) on April 18, 2022.
- All traces may not have been submitted or completed at the time of this study.
Firearm Types and Calibers with a California Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a California Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
Top Source States for Firearms with a California Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Traces must identify a purchaser and the state in which the final dealer is located.
Time-to-Crime Rates for Firearms with a California Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Traces must identify a purchaser.
- Time-to-Crime was calculated for those traces in which the purchase date could be subtracted from the recovery date.
Age of Possessors for Firearms with a California Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Includes traces that provide a possessor and the possessor’s date of birth.
- Possessor’s age is calculated by subtracting the possessor’s date of birth from the recovery date.
Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a California Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Includes traces with a recovery city or, if the recovery city was not provided, traces requested by agencies with jurisdiction only within that city.